Della L Bockhaus

Della Bockhaus, 84, passed away on Mother's Day, May 8, 2011.  She was born January 3, 1927 in rural Waucoma, Iowa, to Fred and Louise Beier, the fifth child of seven children. Her older siblings were Melvin Beier, Edwin Beier, LaVerne Beier and Mildred Poppe.  Her younger siblings were Ruth Zmoos and Clarence Beier.  The premature death of Louise Beier left a grieving family, including 13-year-old Della.

After leaving her family farm at a young age, Della worked at a variety of jobs.  She began by keeping house and providing childcare.  She assisted with patient care as a candystriper at a hospital in Olwein; waitressed at Black's Tea Room in Waterloo; worked for Chamberlain Manufacturing Corporation during the war effort of WWII; Wagner Manufacturing; Hy-Vee Food Stores; and finally John Deere & Company.  In each task she was a hard-working and loyal employee.

On June 30, 1948 Della married Ray Bockhaus and the two began work on the family farm.  Around 1950 they moved to Waterloo seeking different work opportunities, eventually settling in Cedar Falls in 1953.  Two weeks after moving into their first house, Della gave birth to Pamela Louise.  Three and a half years later their son, Ronald Ray, was born and the family was complete.  Church involvement and baptism was with First Lutheran Church in Waterloo.

With growing kids and activity, the family's community involvement centered on Cedar Falls and Nazareth Lutheran Church.  During the time between jobs and later in retirement Della volunteered at church and with Stephen Ministry visitation, earned her G.E.D. and exercised regularly, being seen frequently on the bike path and around her home near South Main Street.  Home projects, travel, fishing and visiting grandchildren began filling her schedule in the decade of the 1980s.  In the early 1990s she faced breast cancer with courage and success!

Following the death of her husband, Ray, in 2007 she sold her home and moved to the Lutheran Home in Cedar Falls.  At the beginning of 2010 she moved to Ft. Collins, Colorado to be closer to her daughter Pam.  She experienced a fall in her residence that resulted in a broken hip and death one week later.

Della is survived by daughter Pam Strawser and her husband Kirk of Fort Collins, Colorado; son Ron Bockhaus and his wife Susan previously of Cold Spring, Minnesota and now Estes Park, Colorado; four grandchildren Peter Bockhaus, Anna Bockhaus, Elizabeth Strawser, Emily Strawser, brother Clarence Beier of Waterloo, and many nieces and nephews.

Friends, family and our world are blessed because of the life of Della Bockhaus.  We give thanks for her!

Visitation with refreshments will be held from 12:00 to 2:00 pm Wednesday, May 18, 2011, at Nazareth Evangelical Lutheran Church, 7401 University Ave., Cedar Falls, followed by funeral services at 2:00 pm.

Memorial donations may be made to Christian Crusaders, PO Box 522, Cedar Falls, IA  50613 or Pathways Hospice, 305 Carpenter Rd., Fort Collins, CO  80525.   Online condolences may be left at www.DahlFuneralHome.com.