Vernon Herman Dau was born October 19, 1924 on a farm north of Holstein, Iowa, the son of Herman and Emma (Hansel) Dau. He was baptized on May 1925 and confirmed in April 1943 at St. Paul Lutheran Church of Holstein. He attended country school and high school in Holstein. On October 19, 1944, he married Deloris Hansen of Correctionville, Iowa at the St. Paul Lutheran Parish in Holstein. He worked as a hired man before entering the service in April 1945. He served in Tokyo and was discharged in 1947. He returned to Holstein and started farming on his parent’s farm northwest of Holstein and the couple lived on a farm north of Cushing for five years. In 1954 they bought a home in Cushing and he drove the school bus as well as farmed the farm he purchased south of Quimby, Iowa. In 1959 he sold the Quimby farm and house and bought the Andy Hendersen farm south of Cushing and they moved there in 1960. In 1982 they built a new home in Cushing but continued to farm from there. In 1983 they sold their acreage and had a farm sale January 5, 1984 but still farmed the Clarice Bryant farm across the road until 1989, when he bought the land on the south edge of Cushing and rented it out.
Vernon fed a lot of cattle. He kept the buildings on Bryants farm and kept the cows and fed the calves out every year. In January 1995, Vernon suffered a severe heart attack and in January of 2003 he gave his cattle up and sold everything to retire.
He was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church of Cushing and belonged to the Cushing American Legion Post #624. He was very active in both.
Vernon was preceded in death by his parents; a brother Clarence Dau; two nephews, Dr. James and Dr. Gerald Goettsch; brothers-in-law, Herb Goettsch and Bueford Hansen; sister-in-law, Anita Hansen; and niece Lori Sokoloski.
He is survived by his wife, Deloris of Cushing, IA; son, Rich Hefner and wife Linda of Cushing, IA; three grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; brother, Les and wife LuEtta Dau of Paullina, IA; two sisters, Myrtle Goettsch of Holstein, IA and Mary and husband Bob Hahn of Cherokee, IA; sister-in-law, Geraldine Dau-Susie of Cushing, IA; brothers-in-law, LeWayne Hansen and Rex Hansen of Sioux City, IA; three God-sons, Jason Meins, Daniel Hahn, Nathan Dau; and many nieces and nephews.
Burial:
Burial will be at the Cushing Cemetery of Cushing with military rites conducted by the American Legion F. Roger Baumann Post # 624 of Cushing.
Visitation:
Nicklas D. Jensen Funeral Home of Correctionville.
Wednesday, February 27th, 2013
3:00pm to 7:00pm
Funeral:
St. John Lutheran Church of Cushing with the Rev. Beverly J Wolff and Rev. Lynford Dau officiating
Thursday, February 28th, 2013
10:30am