Devoted Volunteer Service Award Certificate: Verla BLAKEY Williams

Verla Williams holding the crystal bowl she was awarded for her devoted volunteer service. Images courtesy of Vincent Williams.

Citation for Verla Williams, Recipient of a Vesterheim Heritaqe Award
Jon Hart, Presenter
October 21, 2006
Vesterheim Biennial Folk Art Benefit Auction Dinner

Tonight I am pleased and honored to present a special Vesterheim heritage award to Verla Williams for her devoted volunteer service to the Vesterheim Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library.

For over 25 years Verla has sat at an electric typewriter in her home in Iowa City, where she has typed somewhere in the neighborhood of 80,000 index cards containing the names of Norwegian immigrants. Beginning in January 1981 with a list of emigrants from Holla, Telemark, Verla worked her way into much larger projects including the complete list of Norwegians in the 1900 Iowa census, followed by the 1900 Minnesota census. In 1900 there were 11,000 native born Norwegians in Hennepin County alone! Verla is the Genealoqical Center's longest serving volunteer, and the census indexes she created have helped countless people find information on their family histories.

Blaine Hedberg, who is the Naeseth Chair of the Vesterheim Genealogical Center, is unable to be here with us tonight, but says this about Verla Williams: "I wish we had a way to duplicate Verla; she has really been vital to the resources at the center. . . . Researchers for generations will be talking about her efforts to document the Norwegians in Iowa and Minnesota. When I think of Verla, I think of extreme persistence and dedication. Please extend my greetings and thanks to Verla for all the wonderful help she has given over the past years."

Verla, on behalf of the trustees, staff, members, and friends of Vesterheim, I present you with this small token of our appreciation for persistence and dedication. Thank you.


"Volunteer Corner," Norwegian Tracks 34/1 (Fall 2009), p. 5.

Verla Williams of Iowa City, Iowa, has won the distinction of being the Norwegian American Genealogical Center and Naeseth Library's longest-serving volunteer. Verla has logged nearly 30 years of loyal service to NAGC & NL.

Verla began volunteering in 1981 preparing a first name card index of emigrants from Holla in Telemark, Norway for Gerhard Naeseth. She went on to complete other immigrant lists including those who emigrated from Birkenes and Bygland in Aust-Agder, a card index to the head of households for Winneshiek County, Iowa, and a card index for all Norwegians listed in the 1900 census records for every county in Iowa. By October 1987, Verla had completed the index for all counties in Iowa, which took her approximately 1300 hours to record 23,634 Norwegians, plus their families. In 1989, Verla began a similar project for the 1900 Minnesota census and she typed over 100,000 index cards of Norwegians in Minnesota census. Verla telephoned recently and said she had found the last Norwegian in Minnesota!

In addition to her volunteer efforts, Verla has been working on her and her husband's genealogy for many years. She has provided the NAGC & NL with copies of four manuscripts, Asbjørn Hallvardsen Raa Family, an 1852 immigrant family from Laerdal, Sogn og Fjordane; Seming Hogansen Haarset family, an 1880 immigrant family from Nes, Akershus and the Sigvart Williams Descendants, history of an 1864 immigrant family with roots in Kråkstad, Akershus, who left from Toten.

Verla has served on the NAGC & NL Advisory Council for the first year of its existence. Her knowledge of genealogy was a great benefit to the organization, helping to look to the future with a keen eye on all that had gone before. She decided it was time to step aside from her role on the Council and she will be greatly missed by all the Council members and NAGC & NL staff that work with the Council.

Verla and her family have lived in Iowa City since 1977. At that time husband Vincent, a dentist in Decorah, Iowa, joined the faculty at the University of Iowa - College of Dentistry, retiring in 1997. The Williams' children are Jené, Dawn, Mark, and Arik.

Verla is an inspiration to all of us and we are grateful for her dedication and commitment to the mission and goals of the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library.

RIP Gordon Robert BLAKEY (26 Dec 2018): Memories

Earlier today I received word from my cousin Lynden Blakey that his father, Gordon, had passed away peacefully at about 2:00 p.m. MST.


Gordon and Shirley (Jurgens) Blakey. Image courtesy of Holly Blakey-Walker.

Several years ago I had asked my cousin, LeAnn (Blakey) Thomas, if she would see if Gordon was willing to fill out a Memories document similar to the one my mom did with Grandma Blakey. I recently came across it and put it away in my files. It seems appropriate to post it now.

MEMORIES – GORDON ROBERT BLAKEY

These memories are being shared by Gordon Blakey on 3/2011.

Growing Up

I was born in Jackson, Minnesota–at home on the farm.

My birthdate is 12/16/1929.

My parent’s full names and birthdates are:

• Father: Verland Edward Blakey 9-10-1902.
• Mother: Agnes Marie (Roe) Blakey 8-22-1909.

They had the following occupations:

• Father: Farmer.
• Mother: Stay-at-home mother/Farming.

I remember these amusing incidents from my childhood:

I was 8 or 9 years old. One night I was chasing cats in the barn. It was winter time and at night. There was a stock tank in the barn and it was partially covered with boards. I accidentally dove into the stock tank and had to be carried back to the house. Mamie Paulson was at the house.

I was 12 years old on the farm north of Jackson. LaRue, Roland, and I were walking from a farm building to the house. The farm dog was by the windmill. LaRue said he was going to kick the dog. It was a black and white dog. I said you better not because he will bite you. LaRue kicked the dog and it bit him. He had to go to the hospital and get stitches.

The names and birthdates of my brothers and sisters are:

• Verla Ardis (Blakey) Williams 4-28-1932.
• Averland Virgil Blakey 4-9-1934.
• Sharon Joy (Blakey) Asche 2-20-1946.
• Pamella Sue (Blakey) Bergan Wilmes 11-9-1949.

An interesting story about my brothers, sisters and me is:

I was about 12 years old. Lightning hit the chimney and came out of the chimney, hit the cook stove, jumped over to the window above the sink and went outside. It broke the casing/wood around the window. Verla let out a blood-curdling scream.

I remember giving Averland a penny so I could be the first one to get a drink of water.

My grandparent’s names and birthplaces are:

On my mother’s side:

Minnie Roe
Albert Roe

On my father’s side:

Lottie Blakey
George Blakey

This is where they lived:

Roes lived northwest of Jackson by a river.

Blakeys lived on a farm southwest of Jackson.

This is what I remember about my grandparents:

Grandad Blakey had a mustache like Geraldo Rivera.

Grandpa Roe when he would come over would sit and twiddle his thumbs the whole time he was talking.

Some things I remember doing with my grandparents are:

I remember being on a horse and sleigh because the snow was so deep on the roads.

Other members of my extended family who were important to me include:

I remember going to Duluth with Orville in his 1941 model car.

These were the first memories I have of myself as a child:

I remember the old house where I was born south of Jackson. Dad and I went down there one time and the house was still standing.

When I was a child, this is how my family celebrated Christmas:

Everybody came to our house north of Jackson. I remember I got a giant pencil with a big eraser on it. We had a Christmas tree with real candles.

Unique celebrations my family had were:

May Day–Verla and I took a may basket to the neighbors. We hid in the ditch so they didn’t see us.

Sunday afternoons we would go down to a park in Iowa and buy candy kisses for a penny.

When I was a child, some of the gifts I received and gave on holidays were:

Clothes or shoes–Christmas and birthdays.
Electric Circular Sander–Christmas/birthday (didn’t want).

The pets I had as a child, and their names, were:

We had dogs but they weren’t really pets. They were working dogs. Didn’t really have pets.

When I was a child, Roosevelt was President of the U.S.

My favorite meal my mother made, and what made it so special, was:

Glorified rice–jello, rice, and cream (whipped, I think). My mom made it for one of the Hoganson’s funerals. I ate so much of it, I was sick.

These are some of the things I remember about trips my family took as I was growing up:

Had picnics with family in Fork-u-fines(?) in Iowa.

This is how I would describe the house and neighborhood I lived in as I was growing up:

1^st house: 2-story, 4 bedrooms, N of Jackson, outdoor plumbing.
2^nd house: Big, square house, 4 bedrooms, wood/coal heater in the living room.

These are ways that neighborhood has changed over time:

1^st house in Jackson is still standing–nobody lives there.

When I started school I was 6 years old.

One of my favorite teachers in elementary school—and why—was:

Ms. Tobison–She gave me a ball for completing a task.
I didn’t like one of my teachers (Mrs. Schudeberry) because she had “an attitude”–she didn’t like my mom.

This is how I got to school each day:

Either our folks took us or we would walk.

Things I enjoyed doing most as a child were:

Rode a small bike, drive a tractor, grind feed once in a while. Was in the school play. Botched my part.

These are the things I remember most about my teen-age years (friends, activities, school, special events, favorite foods and songs, jobs, heroes, etc.):

Delbert Ring was a friend. Didn’t have a job. Attended school in a one room school house. At Christmas time, there was always a Christmas tree with real candles.

This is how I would describe myself when I was a teenager:

Quiet, didn’t get into mischief.

This is what I remember about my first date:

Don’t remember my first date.

Employment

My first job was:

Artificial inseminator.

The work that I did in that job involved:

Reaching inside the cow and spraying the semen inside.

The things that I especially remember about my first job were:

Quite a bit of driving all over the county. Farmers would call when they had a cow in heat.

Other employment I have had over the years included:

Worked for Art Vold doing construction.

The jobs I liked the best, and why I liked them, were:

Didn’t like any of them.

Marriage and Children

This is how I met my spouse:

Through Lyle Jurgens. Shirley went to Alabama with Audrey Jurgens and I met her there.

Before we were married, we dated each other for about IDK years. We were married on November 23, 1953.

When were first married, we lived:

The old house on the Windom farm.

We bought our first house in Bingham Lake for about $6,000. Our first car was a ‘49/’50 Ford and cost about $10K.

These are the homes and communities I have lived in since I was married, and here is how they’ve changed over the years:

Bingham Lake, MN
Howard Ketzenberg’s farm
Aurora, Colorado–grown very much
Brighton, Colorado–grown very much

Some important things I have learned about marriage are:

After losing my spouse, there were simple things she wanted to do that I could have and should have done.

These are the names and birthdays of my children:

• Laurene Ann – September 11, 1954
• Lynden Mark – November 12, 1956
• Leslee Roberta – July 20, 1958
• LeAnn Kay – September 28, 1959
• Lisa Carol – December 10, 1960
• Larry Douglas – October 18, 1964
• Leah Lynn – January 16, 1973

My spouse and I and our children celebrated Christmas, birthdays and other holidays by:

On Christmas Eve we either went to my parents or her parents. For birthdays the kids would pick what they wanted for dinner.

Family traditions that we began were:

Oyster stew on Christmas Eve.

I best remember these trips which our family took as our children were growing up:

Camping trip to Blue Mound, near Worthington with Slayton.
Camping trip to Colorado with Lyle Jurgens.
Camping trip to S. Dakota with Chet Bennet.
Camping trip to Wisconsin with Kermit Twait.

I remember these humorous or memorable stories about our children as they were growing up:

When we lived in Aurora, Larry took a scooter to the open field and he got it stuck in the mud. I chewed him up one side and down the other. Also, LeAnn and Lisa were backing out of the driveway. LeAnn backed into the trash cans. Lisa got out to move them and was snickering the whole time. LeAnn looked at her and said, “Shut up!”

My grandchildren remind me of my own children in these ways:

I don’t know.

What I have enjoyed most about being a parent is:

Parenting was not always fun. I’m glad I had so many kids to take care of me.

Some of the things I have learned as a parent are:

Parenting was not always fun.

This is how I would describe our family over the years, in terms of its character and unique aspects:

Kids always seemed behaved and disciplined in public. Got complimented for it several times.

Other Areas of My Life

As an adult, I have enjoyed these hobbies or pastimes:

Woodworking.

If I could teach a special hobby or skill to my grandchildren, I would choose:

Carpentry.

As an adult, these friends have been especially important to me:

Kermit and Betty Twait, Archie Amundsen

Numerous historical events have occurred during my lifetime (the depression, World War II, the Korean War, the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of important leaders, the space program and many more). Some events that I particularly remember or that affected my life, and the reasons why, include:

I remember going to Camp Rucker, Alabama. My job was driving truck – it pulled a big gun – this was used for training new recruits for Korea.

Obituary: Gordon Robert BLAKEY

Obituary. Gordon Robert BLAKEY. Image courtesy of Mark D. Williams.


Gordon Robert Blakey

December 16, 1929 – December 26, 2018

Gordon Robert Blakey, 89, of Brighton passed away on December 26, 2018. He was born on December 16, 1929 in Jackson, Minnesota, the oldest of five children born to Verland Edward and Agnes (Roe) Blakey. He was baptized on January 5, 1930. Gordon was a 1947 graduate of Windom High School in Minnesota. He married Shirley Jurgens on November 23, 1953 at St. Frances Xavier Catholic Church, in Windom, Minnesota.

Gordon grew up working on the family farm. He served four years in the US Army during the Korean conflict at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. After the Army, he worked as a carpenter building homes in Minnesota. In 1970, he moved the family to Aurora, Colorado, and began building homes for Sanford Homes giving 100% to his employer. When their children left home, he and Shirley moved to Brighton, Colorado. A talented woodworker, in retirement he spent hours in his garage shop making shelves, picture frames, and other keepsakes.

Gordon loved country western music and his ice cream. He wasn't a talker, but when he did he was wise with his words. He was a hard worker, teaching his children a strong work ethic; yet he cherished his rest and Sundays of worship at Zion Lutheran Church, Brighton, CO, where he was a faithful communicant member and an usher for many years. Gordon was adored by the youngest grandchildren and loved by everyone around him. He left a legacy with many good memories. He will be greatly missed.

Survivors include his children, Laurene (Ken) Klassen of Mountain Lake, MN; Lynden (Julie) Blakey of Commerce City, CO; Leslee Stowell (Roger Jardee) of Westminster, CO; LeAnn (Kevin) Thomas of Kiowa, CO; Lisa Minton of Lochbuie, CO; Larry (Diane) Blakey of Brighton, CO; and Leah (Danny) Wagner also of Brighton, CO; siblings, Verla Williams, Sharon Asche and Pam Wilmes; 22 grandchildren and 22 great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Verland and Agnes Blakey; his wife, Shirley, in 2009; and brother, Averland Blakey.

Funeral Service for Gordon are at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, January 4, 2019 at Zion Lutheran Church, Brighton, Colorado. Interment will be on Monday, January 7, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. at Ft. Logan National Cemetery, 3698 S. Sheridan Blvd., Denver, Colorado. Memorials may be given to TRU Community Care Hospice: trucare.org/donate

Gordon Robert BLAKEY Memorial (1929-2018)

Memorial. Gordon Robert BLAKEY (1929-2018). Images courtesy of Mark D. Williams.

RIP Verla Ardis (BLAKEY) Williams (4 May 2026): Memories

Verla A. Williams passed away on the evening of 4 May 2026 surrounded by her family. She and I had earlier completed a Memories document similar to the one she had done with my Grandma Blakey.

MEMORIES

These memories are being shared by Verla A. Williams on 7/22/2021.

Growing Up

I was born in Middletown Township, Jackson County, Minnesota.

My birthdate is 28 Apr 1932.

My parent’s full names and birthdates are: 

• Father: Verland Edward Blakey (10 Sep 1902).
• Mother: Agnes Marie Roe (22 Aug 1909).

 They had the following occupations: 

• Father: Farmer.
• Mother: Housekeeper for Pastor Eastvold.

 The most memorable times we had as a family were:

The people from Middletown Township had picnics where we played with the other cousins and kids. I remember going to Grandma Blakey’s (Lottie Kephart) for Thanksgiving dinner. (“I remember she made the best duck.” – Vince Williams)

 I remember this amusing incident involving my father/mother:

Dad was very quiet usually, but when he said something it could be very funny.

The names and birthdates of my brothers and sisters are:

• Gordon Robert Blakey (16 Dec 1929).
• Averland Virgil Blakey (9 Apr 1934).
• Sharon Joy (Blakey) Asche (20 Feb 1946).
• Pamella Sue (Blakey) Bergan Wilmes (9 Nov 1949).

An interesting story about my brothers, sisters and me is:

When we were going to the country school, Mom had us walk home (just short of two miles). There were a group of six of us, I remember during the winter when there was snow on the ground, but the weather. Three of them parted at the corner of Highway 71 where we had had a snowball fight and gotten our clothes all snowy.

As we were walking home, we would walk single file on the highway by age. Gordon first, then me, then Averland. Our teacher happened to come along and offer us a ride. We didn’t refuse because she was our teacher. She dropped us off at the end of our driveway.

The next day we got called in because the teacher (Mrs. Schluter) was upset that we had gotten snow in her car and as punishment had to stay in for two recesses and the noon hour for several days. The younger kids had to do arithmetic problems. Gordon and I had to memorize some poems. Mom got mad enough that she talked to the teacher. She told her we were walking because of my health and that I needed fresh air and exercise. I was puny, and she figured it would be good for me.

The teacher was finally persuaded that that had been enough and since she couldn’t let just me go, she let us all go.

My grandparent’s names and birthplaces are:

On my mother’s side:

• Albert Roe (8 Nov 1876, Enterprise, Jackson, MN) 
• Mina (Hoganson) Roe (29 Jul 1880, Des Moines, Jackson, MN)

 On my father’s side:

• George Edward Blakey (17 Feb 1863, Portage County, WI)
• Lottie (Kephart) Blakey (9 Mar 1871, Dubuque, Dubuque, IA)

This is where they lived:

The Albert Roe farm was next to the Des Moines River in Section 10 of Des Moines Township, Jackson County.

The George Blakey farm was in the southeast corner of Section 28 of Des Moines Township, Jackson County.

Some things I remember doing with my grandparents are:

I remember several times when we would visit my Grandma Blakey we would look at pictures through a stereoscope. Grandma Blakey also used to have a drawer of buttons that I used to take and string onto a string and play with them.

At the Roe farm when there were family gatherings with the cousins we would play Ante Over.

Other members of my extended family who were important to me include:

I remember visiting my grand aunt and uncle Ella and Ern Pearson.

These were some memories I have of myself as a child:

When we lived north of Jackson we went to a country school. We were almost the same distance to the school in town as to the country school. When the weather was nice we would walk home after school. Once at recess when I was in about first grade, two of the eighth-grade girls would take hold of my hands and run across the school yard with me and my feet would barely touch the ground.

Some humorous or memorable incidents that I remember from my childhood are:

I remember getting a box of candy that I wanted to make last. So the first day I ate one piece. Then the second day I ate another piece. Then the third day I ended up eating all of the rest of the candy.

One day at country school I remember I was with some eighth graders, and we were looking in the hole of a latrine and my tam fell in. They fished it out for me and I can’t imagine what my mom must have said when I brought it home.

I remember once at the farm picking up a tin can, and there was a snake coiled up inside of it. I dropped that can so fast.

When I was a child, this is how my family celebrated Christmas:

I remember we had a Christmas tree with decorations, icicles, and lights. Ella and Bruce, Roland and Elaine Graves, and Grandma and Grandpa Blakey would come to our house. Elaine was in charge of coming up with a Christmas “program” before we could open our presents. The stairway upstairs was partially hidden. We would sit on the steps behind this partial wall and took turns singing Christmas carols and reading the Christmas story.

When I was a child, some of the gifts I received and gave on holidays were:

I remember getting a doll either for Christmas or my birthday. A lot of times in school we would make gifts that we could give to our relatives.

The pets I had as a child, and their names, were:

We had dogs and cats but they weren’t really pets, the dogs helped herd the cows and were guard dogs, and the cats were outside cats that caught mice.

I remember the first movie I was allowed to go to was Lassie Come Home.

When I was a child, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President of the U.S.

My favorite meal my mother made, and what made it so special, was:

I am not sure I had a favorite meal because we were taught to eat what was placed in front of us, so we might as well like it. We had chicken a lot because we raised them on our farm.

These are some of the things I remember about trips my family took as I was growing up:

Our family didn’t take many trips when I was young during the Depression as it was expensive, and because it was hard to find someone that would be able to do the chores on the farm.

This is how I would describe the house and neighborhood I lived in as I was growing up:

The farm north of Jackson is the first one I remember. It had a very long lane, maybe a half of a mile. The house had two stories and was square. It had a stairway to the second floor that was partly closed off. 

Once we were going to give May baskets to the neighbors that lived across the highway from us. To try to surprise them we hid the May baskets in the ditch. I don’t recall if we ever actually delivered them.

At Christmas Mom would organize a program and we kids would read the Christmas story from the Bible. She would have us do recitations of poems and sing Christmas carols. Usually we celebrate with the Graves family, Grandma and Grandpa Blakey, and Orville. Sometimes Grandpa and Grandma Roe would also join us. We would sit on the stairway behind the wall waiting for our turn to perform.

These are ways that neighborhood has changed over time:

Vince and I drove by the farm sometime within the last 20 years and the house was still standing. It had a lot of trees around it.

When I started school I was five years old. My favorite and least favorite subjects were: 

We didn’t have kindergarten then. I started in the first grade. I remember even going to school with Gordon before I started and remember sitting in the back of the room listening while the other students were reading. I liked school and don’t remember really having a favorite subject.

One of my favorite teachers in elementary school—and why—was:

The first teacher I remember was Leona Tobiason who taught all the grades in our country school. She was nice and not very strict or bossy. I think I had her for first and second grade. The teacher after her was a Mrs. Schluter. Country schools then went through the eighth grade if there were students. I went to that school until we moved to the Windom farm about when I was in sixth grade. Then I went to the school in Bingham Lake.

This is how I got to school each day: 

The country school was about two miles from the farm (a mile and a half north and a half mile west). Mom would give us a ride to that school because she didn’t think we would get there on time. Usually we would walk home.

Things I enjoyed doing most as a child were:

I remember enjoying going to town with Mom and Dad on Saturday night to get groceries and I always got a sack of popcorn­­—my weekly treat.

These are the things I remember most about my teen-age years (friends, activities, school, special events, favorite foods and songs, jobs, heroes, etc.):

Living on the farm during the Depression, I didn’t have a lot of time or money for social activities. I remember mostly family get togethers at the Roe farm. Lucille Pierson and Mavis Garoutte were good friends of mine then, though I would spend time with them separately. I was part of Luther League at Windom Evangelical Church. I sang in the high school choir when I was a freshman and a senior. My high school yearbook for 1949 reminded me that I was in a play called The Gift Perfect. 

This is how I would describe myself when I was a teenager:

My nickname in high school was “Tiny.” Here is my senior picture.

Things that are different now than they were when I was growing up are:

Back then I wouldn’t have been able to talk with my family online and see them. We had a telephone with a party line. If someone else’s phone rang we could listen in. They all had different rings. Our number was 39F21 with the 21 meaning two long rings and a short ring. Sometimes we would “rubberneck” and listen to other phone calls and find out what the neighbors were doing.

Employment

My first job was:

The first job I remember was working at a grocery store. The owner was a Joe Moede. I think that was in Windom. I was about 14 and worked Saturdays. I would get a ride there either from Gordon or my folks.

The work that I did in that job involved: 

People would call in an order. I would go around and pick up the stuff and assemble it. They would come in and pick it up and pay for it.

Other employment I have had over the years included: 

I helped Mom and Dad on the farm with chores like gathering eggs. After high school I went to Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis and finished in 1951. I wasn’t finding a job, but knew a lady from Windom who was working for Lutheran Brotherhood Insurance. She told me they had a job available as a typist.

I had my name in as a parish worker, and soon after I was offered a job in East Grand Forks, MN. I worked there for a few years. I think they had a change of pastors and I thought I needed a change too. I went back home for a while.

In the fall of 1954 I started work at First Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa, as a parish secretary working for both the pastor and congregation.

The jobs I liked the best, and why I liked them, were: 

Being a parish worker was rewarding in that you could visit with people and answer questions. It’s more than just sitting behind a desk.

I also found my role as a wife and mother very rewarding too.

The jobs I disliked the most were: 

Sometimes it was hard visiting people that I didn’t know. You wouldn’t know what to expect when you knocked on their door. That’s why I eventually asked to be a parish secretary rather than a parish worker.

 

Marriage and Children

This is how I met my spouse:

I was renting a sleeping room on W Main St about a block from First Lutheran. Around 9 or 10 one Saturday night I heard someone calling my name and throwing some pebbles at my bedroom window. I went to the window and there were a couple of girls (Charlotte and Charlene Wilkins who were twins) who wanted to know if I wanted to go with them. They knew some young men (the Dresselhaus brothers) who had a friend with them and wanted to see if I would join them. The friend was Vince. We went up to Palisades for a watermelon bust.

Before we were married, we dated each other for about 2 years. 

We were married on 1 Sep 1956. This is our formal wedding picture.

When were first married, we lived in an apartment that was in the back of a house in Iowa City.

We bought our first house in Decorah at 606 W Water St for about $17,500. 

Vince says jokingly that he married me for my car. He didn’t have one. Our first car was a 1957 Chevy 210 Sedan and cost about $2,200.

This was the rage in music, dance and clothes when we were first married:

Vince and I were not really interested in rock and roll that was starting to get popular. We usually listened to big band and swing music that he played and liked.

My mom disapproved of dancing, so I never really learned how.

We didn’t really have a lot of money then, so our clothes were plain and simple. I had dress clothes to wear to church, work, and special occasions.

These are the homes and communities I have lived in since I was married, and here is how they’ve changed over the years: 

When we first moved to Decorah we rented an apartment in the back of the Haugen house on 503 Fifth Avenue. Then we bought the house on 606 W Water St and lived there until we moved to Iowa City in 1977 and lived in a house on 4333 Pine Ridge Trl NE. We lived there until 2019 when we moved into our current apartment at 1095 Silvercrest Cir #313.

Some important things I have learned about marriage are: 

Don’t be as concerned as much about what you’re getting as opposed to what you’re giving.

These are the names and birthdays of my children:

• Dawn Marie (Williams) Boyd (26 Aug 1957).
• Mark Didrik Williams (31 Mar 1959).
• Arik Michael Williams (19 Mar 1964).
• Jené Rachele (Williams) Daub (2 Jun 1966).

My spouse and I and our children celebrated Christmas, birthdays and other holidays by:

We opened presents on Christmas Eve and then went to church services on Christmas Day. Walter and Lillie would usually join us for dinner and the kids would get impatient because they had to wait until the dishes were done, the food was put away, and we had a little Christmas program before we could open the presents. For the program, we would sing carols, and read the Christmas story from the Bible.

I would bake birthday cakes for our family’s birthdays, frost the cakes, and put candles on them. We always sang “Happy Birthday” before they blew out the candles.

We bought the kids sparklers for the Fourth of July and they would see how many times they could run around the house in Decorah before the sparklers died out.

For Thanksgiving we went to church and then I made a big Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and all the trimmings.

These are the traditions which I hope my children and grandchildren will carry on with their own families:

I hope my children and grandchildren will continue to celebrate Christmas for the reason it was meant to be celebrated.

I best remember these trips which our family took as our children were growing up: 

We often visited my folks in Windom for Christmas, their birthdays, holidays, and sometimes a week in the summer.

We vacationed north of Brainerd, MN at Gull Lake, Trout Lake, and also Whitefish Lake.

Once we visited Vince’s brother, Lyle in Salt Lake City, UT, and also went to Jackson Hole, WY, Yellowstone National Park, and back through the Badlands in SD.

In 1969, we spent the summer on an island in the Caribbean called Anguilla. Vince was doing dentistry there for Lutheran World Relief. I kept a diary for that trip which Mark put on a blog called Mom’s Anguilla Diary.

I remember these humorous or memorable stories about our children as they were growing up:

I remember Dawn taught Mark how to read when she was in first grade and before he went to kindergarten. They would play school after she got home and she still has the little white table and chairs that they sat at.

I remember when Mark accidentally opened the car door when we were coming home from getting groceries, and almost fell out. He was hanging on the door, and I could see his little legs trying to keep up running alongside while I was hoping he would not fall.

I remember Arik and his cousin Larry Blakey playing with a BB gun and Arik getting hit near his eye after shooting a rubber ball. He ended up being in the hospital a few days.

I remember Jené would climb up the door jamb between the kitchen and the living room by putting her bare feet on each side and shimmy her way up.  

What I have enjoyed most about being a parent is:

When the kids mind what I tell them. I’ve enjoyed seeing them perform or get good grades in school and being able to celebrate with them.

Some of the things I have learned as a parent are:

To always love them no matter what they do.

This is what I have enjoyed about being a grandparent:

Sometimes it’s nice to be able to give the child back to the parent. That changes as the child grows older, of course.

Other Areas of My Life

As an adult, I have enjoyed these hobbies or past times:

When we lived in Decorah, I used to like bowling with the women’s bowling league on Friday nights. One of my other favorite hobbies was genealogy. I also enjoyed sewing and quilting with my church group. I like doing crossword puzzles and Sudoku. Vince and I and enjoy going to concerts and listening to music. We also like watching the Hawkeyes play football and both boys and girls basketball.

If I could teach a special hobby or skill to my grandchildren, I would choose:

Genealogy, because I would like the work we’ve done to continue on and take care of what we’ve already done.

My faith has influenced and contributed to my life in these ways: 

Living as a Christian influences the things you do or don’t do. You strive to live following Christ’s examples.

This is what I remember about the church activities I was involved in over the years: 

I was involved with Circle that had monthly meetings. I taught Bible classes for adults at First Lutheran in Decorah, and at Zion Lutheran in Iowa City. I also taught Vacation Bible School. In addition, I took the Bethel Bible Series courses, a 20-lecture series on both the Old and New Testaments.

Numerous historical events have occurred during my lifetime (the depression, World War II, the Korean War, the war in Vietnam, the assassinations of important leaders, the space program and many more). Some events that I particularly remember or that affected my life, and the reasons why, include:

Growing up in the Depression, my folks never had much money. When I was young I remember getting a nickel for allowance, and then later a dime, and then a quarter. Saturday night Mom and Dad took us kids into town and would give us a nickel and we could buy a whole bag of popcorn or an ice cream cone. We would walk around the square in Windom to entertain ourselves, while Mom was grocery shopping.

I don’t remember a whole lot about World War II. I vaguely remember once coming down the stairs at the Jackson farm and Mom telling me that Pearl Harbor had been bombed.

We were in Anguilla when the moon landing happened.

As I look back over the events of my life, the things that made me the happiest and about which I feel especially proud are:

Any time one of my kids reached a milestone in their lives, I was happy and proud about it. It helped me feel like I didn’t fail them as a parent.

As I look to the future, I have these hopes and goals for our family and for myself:

I always hope that they will be safe and in good health.

 

Obituary: Verla Ardis Blakey

Screenshot of Verla Ardis (BlAKEY) Williams Obituary. Image courtesy of Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service and Williams Family.

Obituary of Verla A. Williams

Verla A. (Blakey) Williams died on May 4, 2026, and went to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Verla was born April 28, 1932, in Jackson, Minnesota, to Verland E. and Agnes M. (Roe) Blakey. She was baptized into the Christian faith by Rev. A. M. Mannes on May 15, 1932, at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Jackson. When she was a young girl, the family moved to a farm outside Windom, Minnesota. She graduated with honors from Windom High School in 1949.

Her interest in her Christian faith led her to enroll at the Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota where she graduated in 1951. For a short period of time while looking for a position where the Lord might lead her, she worked at Lutheran Brotherhood in the Twin Cities. She received and accepted a call for a parish worker from Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in East Grand Forks, Minnesota. She served them and the Lord from 1951 to 1953. Verla then accepted a call from First Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa to be their parish secretary in 1954 and remained there till 1956.

In 1955 she met the love of her life in Decorah on a blind date, and she and Vincent D. Williams were married on September 1, 1956, at the Windom Evangelical Lutheran Church in Windom. While her husband finished his senior year of dental school, she worked as a typist in the Department of Political Science at the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

Verla accompanied her husband after he graduated from the University of Iowa Dental College in 1957 to Harlingen, Texas, where until 1960 he was stationed as a dentist in the United States Air Force. In Harlingen she was very active as a Bible study and circle leader at Grace Lutheran Church, while her husband was in the service of his country.

With Vince, Dawn, and Mark, she moved back to Decorah in 1960 to raise her family with the later addition of Arik and Jené. Verla loved to bowl and was instrumental in originating the “Red Smocks,” a local women’s bowling league that benefited the Decorah Memorial Hospital. She continued her work for the Lord by leading Bible studies and circle at First Lutheran Church in Decorah.

After seventeen years in Decorah, Verla moved with Vince and their family to Iowa City where her husband had taken a position with the College of Dentistry at the University. She continued to serve her family and reached out to help others with her volunteer work at Zion Lutheran Church as a quilter and Bible study leader. Her quilting group has made hundreds of quilts to help the less fortunate around the world through Lutheran World Relief. She was also a member and leader in the Iowa City Norse Club since 1978.

Verla was also an active and respected genealogist who studied under the tutelage of Dr. Gerhard Naeseth of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This passionate interest in genealogy led her to enroll at the University of Iowa to study courses at the graduate level to increase her effectiveness as a genealogist. Volunteer work for the Iowa State Historical Association in Iowa City led to her receiving the Governors’ Award by the State of Iowa for two years respectively in the 1980s. Her monumental work of indexing all of the Norwegian immigrants in the 1900 Census for both the states of Iowa and Minnesota (over 90,000 index cards) for the Naeseth Genealogical Center in Madison, Wisconsin led her to receive an honored award from both the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, and the Norwegian American Genealogical Center & Naeseth Library in 2006 and 2008 respectively.

Verla also loved to travel. She and Vince went to Norway several times, and to Anguilla, Canada, Guam and Europe.

Verla is survived by her husband, Dr. Vincent D. Williams of Iowa City; four children: Dawn Boyd (Robert), Dr. Mark D. Williams, Arik Williams (Stacie), and Jené Daub (John); eight grandchildren: Heather Romero (Xavier) and Andrew Boyd (Samantha); Roslyn Grace Williams; Kaelyn, Amaya, and Lauren Williams; and BrandiAnne and John Daub lll; and five great grandchildren: Grayson Romero, Dylan Link, Abraham and Lily Boyd, and Boone Lampshire.  Also surviving are two sisters, Sharon Asche (Dalen) and Pamella Wilmes (Thomas), as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death were her parents, Verland and Agnes Blakey, two brothers, Averland and Gordon Blakey, and one granddaughter, Stephania Daub.

A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, May 9, 2026 Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service with Pastor Brent Hartwig officiating.   A reception and time of fellowship will follow the service. The burial will be at the Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah.  Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service of Iowa City is in charge of the funeral arrangements. 

Honorary pallbearers were her grandchildren: Heather Romero, Andrew Boyd, BrandiAnne Daub, John “J. T.” Daub III, Kaelyn Williams, Amaya Williams, Lauren Williams, and Roslyn Grace “Rozz” Williams.

Verla was a very loving wife and mother to her husband and family. As a Christian mother she brought up her children in the Christian faith and was a Christian role model for them throughout her life.

Verla loved her Lord and Savior and served Him daily in all her activities. She is now with her Lord and Savior and what a special place in Heaven is reserved for people like her for a job well done.

SOURCE: "Obituary of Verla A Williams," GayAndCiha.com (7 May 2026). https://gayandciha.com/tribute/details/5440/Verla-Williams/obituary.html. Accessed 14 May 2026.