Henry and Catherine (Tegeler) Gerken

Henry Hugo Gerken was born on March 31, 1883, on the family homestead east of Dyersville, Iowa, the fourth of seven children born to William and Elizabeth (Sudmeier) Gerken. His siblings were Addie, John, Frank, Leo, Rudy, and Molly. Their mother Elizabeth died when Henry was five years old, and his father William subsequently married Carolina Wuebbelt, and they had six children, Bill, Laura, Oscar, Thecla, Ludwig, and Oliva.

Henry Gerken spent some time with his brother Frank in South Dakota, before both of them returned to Iowa.

DYERSVILLE PEOPLE JOINED IN WEDLOCK
Marriage of Miss Catherine Tegeler to Mr. Henry Gerken.
Miss Catherine Tegeler, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Barney Tegeler, and Mr. Henry Gerken, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Gerken, were united in the holy bonds of matrimony Wednesday morning at eight o'clock, January 31, 1912, at St. Francis Xavier Church in Dyersville, Iowa, by the Reverend Father William A. Kunkel, of Nashua, Iowa, a cousin of the groom. The attendants to this happy couple were Miss Agnes Tegeler and Mr. William Gerken.

The bride presented a charming appearance in a wedding gown of white messaline satin. She wore a veil and carried an arm bouquet of white carnations and ferns. Her maid was attired in a gown of blue silk veil. After the ceremony the happy couple were taken to the home of the bride's parents where they received the hearty congratulations of their many friends and relatives.

The bride was described by the Dyersville Commercial as being one of the most popular young ladies and possessing a charming disposition and those womanly characteristics which would enable her to make an able helpmate to her husband. Catherine Frances Tegeler, who was called "Kate," was born on February 24, 1888, at New Vienna, Iowa, daughter of Bernard and Theresa (Beckman) Tegeler. She was educated in the parochial schools of New Vienna. Since her father engaged in business in Dyersville, she had held the position of bookkeeper for him. At the time of their marriage, the groom was engaged in the blacksmith business at Nashua with his brother, Frank, where he had been located the past several years. The groom was described as being well known to the people as an upright, conscientious young man who has every opportunity for success. The young couple made their home at Nashua, Iowa, to where the best wishes of their numerous friends followed them.

Henry and Kate Gerken returned to Dyersville, where they farmed. They were members of St. Francis Xavier Parish, where Kate was a member of the Catholic Daughters of America and the Rosary Society. Henry was a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Funeral Services Held Monday For Mrs. Henry Gerken
Mrs. Henry Gerken, 68, of Dyersville passed away at 5 a.m. Thursday, July 26, 1956, at Xavier Hospital in Dubuque after a brief illness.

Funeral services were held from the Steger Funeral Home to St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Dyersville, Monday, July 30, at 9 a.m. The Rt. Rev. Msgr. M.M. Hoffman offered the Requiem High Mass and officiated at the graveside services at St. Francis Cemetery.

The casketbearers, all nephews of the deceased, were Elmer V. Willenborg, Paul Bruggeman, David Naber, Elmer Tegeler, Mark Gerken, and James Wessels. Honorary escorts representing the Catholic Daughters of America were Mesdames William Toebber, Clem Nurre, Gilbert Evers, Susan Kerkhoff, Ed Frericks, Rose Konzen, Linus Koopman, and Meta Beckman. The Catholic Daughters of America attended the funeral in a body.

Survivors included her husband; three daughters, Lorraine, Mrs. Charles Fangmann, of Dubuque; Catherine, Mrs. Bob Megel, of Papillion, Neb.; and Mary Ann, Mrs. James Drees, of Dyersville; three sons, Bernard Gerken, of Omaha, Neb.; Charles Gerken, of Independence, Ia.; and Leo, at home; twenty-four grandchildren; three sisters, Antonette, Mrs. Henry Wessels; Agnes, Mrs. Fritz Naber, both of Dyersville; and Olivia Tegeler, of Dubuque; and five brothers, Gerhart Tegeler, Ike Tegeler, Ulrich Tegeler, all of Dyersville; Ben Tegeler, of Chicago, Ill.; and Pete Tegeler, of Farley, Ia.

Her parents and one daughter, Vernita, Mrs. LeRoy Frericks, preceded her in death.

Those attending the funeral from out of town were Mrs. Wm Janssen, Umbarger, Texas; William Gerken, Howard and Mark Gerken, Amarillo, Texas; Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Gerken and Mary Del, Guttenberg; Mr. and Mrs. Vern Kleitsch, Waterloo; Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Tegeler, New Hampton; Mr. and Mrs. Guy Carpenter and Jeanne, Clarksville; Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bullock and family, Nashua; Mr. and Mrs. Pete Tegeler, Farley; Mr. and Mrs Earl Pfohl, Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Krapfl, Dubuque; Mrs. Walt Mangerich, Maquoketa; Mr. Alfred Gerken, Elkader; Mr. and Mrs. John Manley, Washington, D.C.; Mr. and Mrs. Ted Madison, Miami, Florida; Mr. and Mrs. Forrest Hearn, Independence; Roy Kreble, Garber; Mrs. Leo Weber, Cascade; Mrs. Henry Scheafer, Henry and Irene; Miss Modesta Tegeler, Davenport; and Mr. and Mrs. Leo Tegeler, Winthrop.

Henry H. Gerken dies.
Henry H. Gerken, who lived in St. Francis Home in Dubuque, Iowa, formerly of Dyersville, departed this life in Xavier Hospital, Dubuque, on Monday afternoon, November 1, 1971. He was 88 years old.

McBride Funeral Home at Dyersville had charge of the arrangements. The funeral was held Thursday morning, November 4, at 10:30 a.m. in St. Francis Xavier Basilica at Dyersville. Father David Wheeler and Monsignor Joseph Dunn concelebrated the mass. Interment was in St. Francis Xavier Cemetery. The rosary was recited in the McBride Funeral Home at 8 p.m. Tuesday evening and the Scripture Wake Services were held on Wednesday evening at 8 p.m.

Henry Gerken was survived by three sons: Bernard Gerken of Omaha, Nebraska; Charles Gerken of Phoenix, Arizona; and Leo Gerken of Independence, Iowa, three daughters: Mrs. Charles (Lorraine) Fangmann of Phoenix, Arizona; Mrs. Robert (Catherine) Megel of Papillion, Nebraska; and Mrs. James (Mary Ann) Drees of Dyersville, 38 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Other survivors included two brothers, Oscar Gerken of Guttenberg, Iowa, and William Gerken of Amarillo, Texas; three sisters, Mrs. Ben (Mollie) Willenborg and Mrs. Clem (Thecla) Bruggeman, both of Dyersville, and Mrs. William (Olive) Janssen of Umbarger, Texas. He was preceded in death by his wife, his parents, one daughter, five brothers, and two sisters.

Children of Henry and Catherine (Tegeler) Gerken:

Sources include, primarily, an account of the marriage and the obituaries for Henry and Catherine Gerken and Vernita Frericks from the Dyersville Commercial, obituaries for Lorraine Fangmann and James Drees from the Dubuque Telegraph Herald and for Leo Gerken from the Reiff Funeral Home website at at http://www.reifffuneralhome.com/, Dubuque County Courthouse records, and A Family Tree of the William Gerken Family, updated by Sister Margaret Gerken in 1986.

© 2000-09 Tom Larson P.O. Box 141 Peosta, IA 52068-0141 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tdlarson/gerken/william/henryh.htm Last revised February 21, 2009.