Berniece Loretta (Hargrafen) Koelker

Berniece Loretta Koelker, 90, passed away Friday, May 19, 2017, at her home in Manchester. She was born June 4, 1926, at home on the farm near Sand Springs, Delaware County, the daughter of August and Anna (Handfelt) Hargrafen.  She grew up on Iowa farms in the Delhi and Hopkinton area. 

On November 7, 1949, Berniece was joined in marriage to Llewellyn Koelker at St. John Catholic Church in Delhi.  They had three daughters: Kathy, Cindy, and Laurie.  Berniece taught in country schools before her marriage and was a homemaker for many years.  She returned to teaching when her girls were older, teaching at St. Patrick’s in Ryan for 2 years and then at St. Mary’s Catholic School for many years until her retirement in 1990.  She continued to be very active volunteering at St. Mary’s for several more years.

Berniece was a faithful member of St. Mary Catholic Church.  She was a longtime member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas, the Rosary Society, and St. Gerard's Study Club.

Berniece is survived by her daughters, Kathy (Bob) Lander of Anamosa, Cindy (Paul) Brown of Independence, and Laurie (Jim) Parlow of LaCrosse, WI; three grandchildren, Kelly (Justin) Post of Independence, Brian (Shannon) Brown of Norwalk, and Kristen (Matt) Hoffman of North Liberty; ten great-grandchildren Keely, Cael, Whitney, and Tessa Post, Ashlyn, Myla, and Dominic Brown, and Landon, Will, and Juliana Hoffman; three sisters, Doris Funke of Greeley, Ruth Hargrafen of Delhi, and Arlene (Fred) Kaefring of Tipton; brothers-in-law, Charlie (Lela) McCormick of Dubuque and Bob Ortberg of Peosta; four sisters-in-law, Verna Hawker of Cedar Rapids, Betty Koelker of Manchester, Marilyn Michael of Cedar Rapids, and Lois (Harry) Lahr of Earlville; and many nieces and nephews.

 She was preceded in death by her husband, Llewellyn in 1987; her parents, August and Anna; four brothers, Vincent, Urban, Cletus (Pete), and Father I. John Hargrafen; and three sisters, Alma Davin, Edna McCormick, and Sister Mary Hargrafen, OSF. 

The family requests that memorials be directed to St. Mary Catholic School.

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