Obituary

Bernard T. Meiners, 95 of Coon Rapids, died Monday, September 1, 2025 at Thomas Rest Haven in Coon Rapids surrounded by his family.

Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m., Friday, September 5, 2025 at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Dedham. The Celebrant will be Fr. Patrick Behm, assisted by Deacon Louis Meiners. Music will be by Jane Heithoff and the St. Joseph’s Choir. Lector for the Funeral Mass will be Jill Klein. Gift Bearers will be Talina Haskins, Caitlin ThongVahn, and Amanda Meiners. Casket Bearers will be Brian Meiners, Ben Meiners, Aaron Meiners, Lucas Meiners, Jason Nees, Mike Nees, Ryan Schultes, Tyler Schultes, Jordan Schultes, Justin Meiners, and Trenton Meiners. Burial will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Dedham with military honors conducted by the Dedham American Legion.

A visitation will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Thursday at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll with a rosary at 7 p.m. The casket will be moved to St. Joseph’s Church on Friday morning where additional visitation will be from 9:30-10:15 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be left at the funeral home or the church for a later designation.

Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for Bernard’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com.

JoAnn Gehling, 80 of Carroll, died Thursday morning August 18, 2022, at Accura Nursing Home in Carroll, Iowa surrounded by her seven children following a brief illness.

Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday, August 22, 2022, at Holy Spirit Church – St. John Paul II Parish in Carroll. The Celebrant will be Fr. Patrick Behm. Mass servers will be Kolbi Peter and Camri Peter. Music will be by Kathy Halbur. Special music will be by Maggie Gehling and Elizabeth Mills. Lector for the mass will be Alvin Mueggenberg. Gift bearers will be JoAnn’s grandchildren. Eucharistic Ministers will be Mary Grossman, and Sister Joann Gehling F.S.P.A. Honorary Casket Bearers will be Jesse Schwanz, Breanna Haberl, Cory Haberl, Elizabeth Mills, Jordan Wessling, Caleb Wessling, Mitch Gehling, Jack Gehling, Samantha Gehling, Lilly Gehling, Calvin Gehling, Maggie Gehling, Lucy Gehling, Tyler Gehling, Reese Gehling, Carter Gehling and Kenna Gehling. Casket Bearers will be Nathan Haberl, Spencer Gehling, Josh Gehling, Max Gehling, Casey Gehling, Jacob Wessling, and Conner Gehling. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Carroll, Iowa.

Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll after 3 p.m. on Sunday, where there will be a rosary at 5:00 p.m. Additional visitation will be from 9-9:45 a.m. on Monday at the church.
Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll, and online condolences may be left for JoAnn’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com.

JoAnn Mueggenberg was born on April 16, 1942, on the family farm near Arcadia, Iowa. JoAnn was the daughter of Gerhard and Evelyn (Krogman) Mueggenberg. She spent the majority of her life in the Carroll area and graduated from St. Bernard Catholic High School in Breda in 1960. On Sept 1st, 1962, she married Robert Gehling at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church in Breda, Iowa. Following their marriage, JoAnn was a homemaker and raised her seven children on the family farm south of Carroll. She worked at the Carroll Health Center and then over 25 years at New Hope Village. JoAnn enjoyed playing endless hours of competitive card games with her family and grandkids. She loved playing Bingo and Scrabble, and yes QA was a valid Scrabble word. She loved attending her kids and grandkids sports especially basketball. The highlight was in 1985 when Kuemper won the state title. She loved her family, especially her 24 grandchildren, 6 great-grandchildren, and her “Older” twin sister Jane. She looked forward to family events. She was a current member of Holy Spirit Parish St. John Paul II Church in Carroll.

Survivors include her seven children, Joyce (Doug) Haberl of Carroll, Linda (Bob) Wessling of Carroll, Ken (Kim) Gehling of Dyersville, Roger (Tiffany) Gehling of West Des Moines, Randy (Wendy) Gehling of Eagan, MN, Russ (Emily) Gehling of Eau Claire, WI, and Keith (Leah) Gehling of Salem; her grandchildren: Jesse (Kayla) Schwanz, Breanna (Steven) Kellogg, Cory (Madison) Haberl, Nathan Haberl, Elizabeth (Cameron) Mills, Jacob (Bobbie) Wessling, Jordan Wessling, Caleb Wessling, Josh Gehling, Mitch Gehling, Jack Gehling, Samantha Gehling, Max Gehling, Lilly Gehling, Calvin Gehling, Maggie Gehling, Casey Gehling, Lucy Gehling, Spencer Gehling, Tyler Gehling, Reese Gehling, Conner Gehling, Carter Gehling, and Kenna Gehling; her sisters and brothers Jane Peter of Dedham, Ruth (Gordon) Thompson of Port Angeles, WA, Linda Gehling of Carroll, Mary (Randy) Grossman of Carroll, Kenneth (Louayne) Mueggenberg of Carroll, Gary (Pat) Mueggenberg of Lake View, Richard (Marilyn) Mueggenberg of Arcadia, Alvin (Sue) Mueggenberg of Arcadia, Darrell (Renee) Mueggenberg of Arcadia, Neil (Marlene) Mueggenberg of Pahrump, NV, Sister in Laws Delores Nagl of Carroll, Bonnie Rasmussen of Newton Joann Gehling F.S.P.A of Hiawatha, Arlene Mueggenberg of Breda, Cindy Mueggenberg of Carroll, Nancy Mueggenberg of Breda; brother-in-law Jerry (Kathy) Gehling of Phoenix, AZ, ;as well as many nieces, nephews, and other extended relatives.

JoAnn was preceded in death by her husband Robert in 2017 after 54 years of marriage, her parents; granddaughter Jessica Schwanz, her parents-in-law, Herman and Genevieve Gehling; her brothers Dale Mueggenberg, Ron Mueggenberg, and Mark Mueggenberg, and in-laws: Robert Peter, Walter Schmitz, Louise Schmitz, Edward Rasmussen, Norma Rasmussen;, George Gehling, Lillian Gehling, Vernon Gehling, Edward Gehling, Lorraine Gehling, Carl Gehling, and James Gehling; Louis Anstoeter, Rita Anstoeter, Wilfred Ocken, and Rose Ocken.

In Lieu of flowers, Memorials can be made out to Holy Spirit Church – St. Paul II Parish, Kuemper High School, or Prairiewood’s Franciscan Center in Hiawatha. The family would like to thank the staff at Accura Health Center and Kindred Hospice Staff.

Church Service

Friday, September 5, 2025 10:30 a.m.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
420 3rd Ave, Dedham, IA 51440

Burial

Sharp Funeral Home ~ Carroll, Iowa

226 W. 8th St., Carroll, IA, 51401

712-792-4301

[email protected]

https://www.sharpfuneral.com

Church Service

Thursday, September 4, 2025
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. – Rosary at 7:00 p.m.
Sharp Funeral Home – Carroll
226 W. 8th St, Carroll, IA 50401

Friday, September 5, 2025
9:30 – 10:15 a.m.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church
420 3rd Ave, Dedham, IA 51440

Obituary

Born March 31, 1930, he was the son of Bernard and Catherine (Rotert) Meiners. He grew up in the Dedham-Willey area and graduated from St. Mary’s School in Willey in 1943. He entered the U.S. Army July 8, 1953 and was stationed at Wurzburg, Germany. He was discharged on May 20, 1955.

Bernard married Dolores S. Halbur on January 24, 1956 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Halbur. After being married Bernard and Dolores lived 3 miles north of Dedham for two years. In 1958, they moved to the farm they purchased four miles east of Dedham. They were the parents of six children: Daniel, Dale, David, Cathleen, Christine, and Gary. Dolores passed away January 21, 1978.

On August 9, 1980, Bernard married Marita Eickman at Annunciation Catholic Church in Coon Rapids. In May 2011, Bernard and Marita moved off the farm into the town of Coon Rapids, Iowa. They made their home there for 14 years. In April 2025, they moved to Parkview Assisted Living in Coon Rapids, Iowa.

During Bernard’s lifetime, he farmed, had a dairy operation, had a cow/calf operation, and raised hogs. He retired in 1992. He is a current member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Dedham, a member of the Dedham American Legion Post #20, and a member of the Manning VFW. In July 2001 Bernard, being a Korean Veteran, had the privilege to go on the Military Honor Flight to Washington DC. Just recently he was presented with a Quilt of Valor at Thomas Rest Haven, and at the age of 95 he still enjoyed attending the Legion meetings.

Bernard loved spending time with his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Holiday gatherings were a treat for him to get to see most of them at one time. In his spare time Bernard enjoyed gathering black walnuts in the fall and kept busy shelling the walnuts during the winter. Family and friends benefited from the fruits of his labor.

Bernard is survived by his wife of 45 years, Marita Meiners; his children, Dale (Mary) Meiners of Carroll, David (Jane) Meiners of Varna, IL, Cathleen (Larry) Nees of Coon Rapids, Christine (Mark) Schultes of Dedham, and Gary (Barb) Meiners of Manson; 19 grandchildren; 32 great grandchildren with 2 more coming in October; a brother Anthony (Colleen) Meiners of Carroll; 2 sisters, Catherine Wittrock of Carroll and Marcella Naberhaus of Carroll; his sisters-in-laws, Margaret (Tom) Denker of Manning, and Pat (Joe) Goblirsch of Jesup. He is also survived by Marita’s children, Richard (Sandy) Eickman of Omaha, NE, James (Joni) Eickman of Dyer, TN, Dave (Joan) Eickman of Macungie, PA, Randy (Rose) Eickman of Coon Rapids, Nancy Eickman and Jim Springer of Warren, NJ, and Karen Heck of Delano, MN, and many nieces and nephews.

Bernard was preceded in death by his first wife Dolores S. Meiners; a son Daniel J. Meiners; Marita’s son Bill Eickman; his parents Bernard and Catherine Meiners; his brothers John (Margaret) Meiners, Albert (Frances) Meiners; his brothers-in-law Clarence Wittrock, Norbert Naberhaus, Cletus (Emaline) Halbur, Norman (Inez) Halbur, Larry (JoAnn) Halbur; his brother-in-law, William (Marie) Halbur; Dolores’ parents, William and Frances Halbur, and stepmother-in-law, Josephine Halbur.

To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Bernard T. Meiners, please visit our Sympathy Store.

Tribute Wall

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My sympathy to the Gehling and Muggenberg families. May she Rest In Peace.

Bev Vonnahme – August 18 2022 at 7:25 PM

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So many good memories of time spent with JoAnn. The neighbor card clubs, lunches and dancing! Rest In Peace 🙏🙏

Pat Sanders – August 20 2022 at 9:22 AM

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Joyce and family, so sorry for your loss.

Jayne Hanson – August 21 2022 at 11:53 AM

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Lit a candle in memory of JoAnn Gehling

Beth Danner – August 19 2022 at 3:18 PM

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Our thoughts & prayers are with all of you.

Marv & Kristi Pudenz – August 20 2022 at 1:49 PM

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