Obituary of Dorothy Boneschans

Dorothy Margaret (Warnke) Boneschans, the daughter of Delbert and Gladys (Howe) Warnke, was born in Paullina, IA on July 28, 1936. The family lived in the Paullina area until Dorothy was seven. They moved to Sanborn, IA, where she received her education and graduated from Sanborn High School. On August 17, 1954, she was united in marriage to Robert L. Boneschans at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA. The couple first lived on the family farm by Ashton, IA, and then on many other farms before moving to Melvin in 1986. Dorothy was employed at Campbell’s Soup for a number of years. She also cleaned house for a neighbor, however, most of her time was spent caring for her own family and home. Dorothy was a member of the United Methodist Church at Melvin. Dorothy enjoyed gardening, canning, baking and sewing. She did the mending and patching for her family, and made doll clothes and stuffed bears for her grandchildren. At one time she did quilting with other ladies of the church. She had been a resident at the Kuiper Villa in Sanborn since February 2012. She passed away at the Sanford Sheldon Medical Center on Sunday, December 2, 2012, at the age of 76. Survivors include her husband, Robert; her daughter, Rose (Arlyn) Vander Beek of Edgerton, MN; sons, Robert Boneschans, Jr. of Orange City, IA, Gordon (Cheryl) Boneschans of Bigelow, MN; and daughter, Peggy (Phil) Johnson of Melvin, IA; 15 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild; three sisters, Delores Smith, Linda Bjerknes and Ruth Palmer; sisters-in-law, Arlene Boneschans, Joyce Fennel, Shirley Warnke, Gayle Boneschans and Jane Boneschans; three brothers-in-law, Doug (Judy) Boneschans, Don (Marlene) Boneschans, and Denny Boneschans; other relatives and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents; one son in infancy, Paul Eugene; a son-in-law, Royce Van Westen; two sisters, Wanda (Bud) Mehmen and Marlys (Kenny) Schirmer; three brothers, Virgil Warnke, Ronald Warnke and Robert Warnke; a sister-in-law, Judy Lemon; five brothers-in-law, Harold Boneschans, Dale Boneschans, Gary Boneschans, Howard Smith and Bill Fennel; a grandchild, Mike Vander Beek; a niece, Vicki Boneschans; a nephew, Mike Boneschans and other relatives. In loving memory of Dorothy M. Boneschans Born ~ July 28, 1936 Died ~ December 2, 2012 Age ~ 76 years 4 months 4 days Funeral Service 2:00 p.m. Saturday, December 8, 2012 Melvin United Methodist Church Clergy ~ Pastor Barb Dinelli Organist ~ Pat Wachtel Congregational Singing “Amazing Grace” “On Eagles’ Wings” “How Great Thou Art” “Here I Am Lord” Pallbearers Robert Boneschans III Dusten Lamfers John Lamfers Rory Van Westen David Mulvihill Chad Vander Beek Ushers Daryle Daggett Harvey Juber Inurnment At a later date