"Have you ever met someone and at first glance you knew you liked/loved them from across the room - and you hadn't even spoke a word yet? Well a very dear friend Yvonne Klein passed away.. She was that person to me. We did a lot together in our younger years, her golden and my 30's. She was my first friend when I moved to Iowa, the only one who reached out to me and seen my home sickness. She would make up excuses to have me do work at the church, volunteered me for Sunday school teacher and Wednesday kids club craft lady.. She would find work at her house so we could spend time together. From putting up duck border paper in her living room, to cleaning the little house on the property, to pulling weeds, while she told me every flower by name and what not to pull, while she chased her little dog POKE around. I will cherish every memory I have of our time together including ditch driving to get some weed with berries she decorated the Church with in the fall (suckered me into doing the decorating with her also) and wall papering the ladies bathroom with grapevine border.. Our trip to her nieces which I was told was a little ways away to get a chest she had found at the goodwill, she thought I needed, that drive took me a whole day. I realized at that moment to be more specific with her when offering my services. She thought a 200 mile trip was just a little ways away.. She would tell me stories of her younger years about her and her amazing husband Willard and the children she had and loved so much. I remember once Willard was giving her and hard time about her storage room in the basement and he told her that her new husband might not put up with that mess. Her reply was so "Yvonne", Willard I don't have time for a new husband or a new set of relatives names. They had a love for each other that I witness on several occasions, like none I have ever seen before. I will truly miss her, she was truly a legend.. I love you bag lady.. rest easy my friend, rest easy."
In loving memory of
Yvonne Klein
May 1, 1928 - April 2, 2018
OLLIE-Yvonne Klein, age 89, left to be with her Lord April 2, 2018, leaving behind friends, loved ones and the loving caretakers at the Keota (Iowa) Health Care Center where she lived.
Yvonne was born May 1, 1928, in Fairfield, Iowa, to Theron and Margaret (Merwyn) Erickson, where she was raised with her three siblings, Gayle, Duane and Frances, and where she enjoyed playing violin in the orchestra. After high school, Yvonne attended nurses training at Des Moines Methodist Hospital. While there, she met Willard Klein, the love of her life, and whom she married December 5, 1948. Yvonne was proud to tell people that Willard was awarded the American Farmer Degree, and it was on their farm in Iowa Falls, where Yvonne and Willard raised three children (Mark, Maureen and Calvin), countless pigs (purebred Durocs), and where they lived for 45 years. In 1990, the couple moved from Iowa Falls to Ollie, Iowa, and lived happily in and around that area until their passing.
For ten years during the 1980's, Yvonne and Willard enjoyed spending time at their cabin near Snow Lake, Manitoba, a quaint Canadian town a mere 500 miles north of Winnipeg. To get to their cabin from town, Yvonne and Willard got in their boat, crossed one lake, navigated a small river for three miles, portaged around a small waterfall, and crossed another lake before arriving at their cabin's dock. The journey was exemplary of Yvonne's adventuresome spirit, not to mention her love for her outdoorsy Willard.
In her own words, Yvonne asks, "Please do not grieve for me, for I ran the race and did my best, and am happy to join my loved ones who have gone before me. LUV U XXX, Yvonne."
Survivors include three children: Mark Klein of Iowa Falls, Maureen (Stephen) Lundergan of Buffalo, New York and Calvin (Patty) Klein of Claremont, California; five grandchildren: Patrick, Kristan, Ashten, Travis and Brinn; three great grandchildren: Esme, Emma and Gavin; sister: Gayle Moore of What Cheer and brother: Duane Erickson of Athens, Georgia. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Willard in 2004; great granddaughter: Eden Rae and sister: Frances Walker.
Funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 14, 2018, at Prairie View United Methodist Church in rural Ollie, with Pastor Nathan Tabelisma officiating. Burial will be at Grant Center Pleasant Hill Cemetery in rural Bradford, Iowa, at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. Visitation will be from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. on Saturday at the church.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established. Powell Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Keota is caring for Yvonne and her family. Tributes may be left at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.
Tributes
"Wonderful Yvonne. Where do I start? One of my first memories of Yvonne was at her home in Ollie. She was in the front room of her home watching a 20/20 television special on how to be more proactive in your own medical treatments. She watched from the couch and happily took notes as she wore her bright colored skullcap. During commercials she was humming happy little ditties as she completed little tasks around the house. I watched her in awe as my new friend Mark & I played cards in the kitchen. This little lady had Spirit! And, of course, Poke won me over right away, too! As I got to know Yvonne, a few things stood out right away. Yvonne always had a positive spin on life and on just about anything! No kidding. She loved music. When she came to hear me sing last time at Sumnybrook, she kept remarking "wonnerful, wonnerful" like Lawrence Welk. And that's how this little lady made us feel: wonderful. In honor of one of Yvonne"s favorite sayings, which she & I would partake in, I will end this tribute in true Yvonne fashion: Person 1: God is great.... Person 2: all the time. Person 2: All the time... Person 1: God is good. --- Love you still, Sweet Yvonne. They are lucky to have you.? Mary Rose Kitch"
"We've spent many wonderful hours with your parents over the years that we treasure, both in the hog barn and in SnowLake. What a wonderful couple whose names are always said together, Willard and Yvonne, they are delighted to be reunited. May your memories give you joy. Jim and Marsha Roland, Alden."