Gehrig Kenneth La Velle

Dr. Gehrig Kenneth La Velle, 80, of Cedar Falls, passed away peacefully at NewAldaya Lifescapes on Sunday, April 6, 2025. He was born in Belmond, Iowa, on June 21, 1944, son of Kenneth and Beth (Maxson) La Velle. When he was 8 years old, Gehrig was the 15th person in Black Hawk County to contract polio which affected, primarily, his lungs. Despite his illness, Gehrig graduated, on schedule, from Waterloo West High School with the Class of 1962 then attended Bemidji State University to study Law Enforcement. He returned home and completed his B.A. at the University of Northern Iowa. Gehrig worked for the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office working his way up to Detective Sergeant until an accident forced an early retirement. Still committed to law enforcement, Gehrig returned to school to earn an M.A., then Ed.D. in Criminal Justice, having done his doctoral research at the Police Staff College of Branshill England. He taught at Hawkeye Technical College, then Indian Hills College in Ottumwa. On October 29, 1964, he was married to Constance Lynn and they had a son, Kenneth, later divorcing. He was United in Marriage to Elizabeth Conrad, who he met during his studies at UNI, on May 22, 1982, at First Presbyterian Church of Cedar Falls.  Gehrig retired in 1994.

Gehrig was preceded in death by his parents; his step-father, Gaylord Johnson; and his brother, Ronald La Velle. He is survived by his wife of nearly 43 years, Beth; his son, Ken (Melissa Secrease) La Velle of Buena Vista, CO; grandchildren, Coltt (Lindsay) La Velle of Elbert, CO and AllieRae La Velle of Grand Junction, CO; a great-grandson, Brett; 3 brothers, Maxson (Laurie) La Velle of Monticello, MN, Robert La Velle of Waterloo and Kent La Velle of Melbourne, FL; and a sister-in-law, Young Hui of South Korea.

Gehrig's Memorial Service will be at 11:00 am on Thursday, April 10, 2025, with Visitation one hour prior all at St. Luke's Episcopal Church of Cedar Falls. His cremated remains will be laid to rest in the columbarium at St. Luke's following the service. Memorials may be directed to the Family for future designation.

Gehrig had a very creative side which manifested, primarily, through music. He played bass guitar in a band in his younger years and yearned to start an audio production studio to help young musicians record their music which wasn't able to get traction due to the COVID shutdown. Gehrig was also a model railroader who could replicate landscapes from photographs and filled a room with his amazing dioramas. He also enjoyed trout fishing in Northeast Iowa when his health allowed. Gehrig was also a competition precision shooter.