Obituaries

Mervin Klaus, age 93, of Carroll, Iowa, died in the care of his family and staff early Wednesday, September 23, 2009, at Israel Family Hospice House in Ames, Iowa. Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 A.M., Saturday, September 26, 2009, at St. Lawrence Church in Carroll. The Celebrant will be Father Timothy Schott. Lectors will be daughters-in-law, Carolyn Klaus and Janice Klaus. Gift Bearers will be great granddaughters, Abigayle and Olivia Chase. Eucharistic Ministers will be Marilyn Foley, Urban Knobbe, and Dennis Schleisman. Casket Bearers will be grandchildren, Sarah Klaus-Ryan, Frank Klaus, Scott Thompson, Stephen Klaus, Renee Klaus, and James Klaus. Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Carroll with military honors conducted by the Carroll American Legion. Friends may call at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll after 6 P.M. Friday. There will be a Christian wake service at 7:30 P.M. Friday by St. Lawrence Parish. Memorials may be left at the funeral home or church for the Carroll County Historical Society or Israel Family Hospice House of Ames. Mr. Klaus was born on December 15, 1915, at Breda, Iowa, the son of Raymond J. and Clara (Luchtel) Klaus. He graduated from St. Bernard High School in 1933. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in November 1940 and served with the horse cavalry at Ft. Bliss, Texas. With the beginning of World War II he re-enlisted in the Army. He was married to Amelia Vonnahme on October 16, 1942, at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Mt. Carmel. The couple began their married life in Alexandria, Louisiana, where Mr. Klaus served as a First Lieutenant in the 103rd Infantry and served overseas at the Normandy Invasion and Battle of the Bulge receiving five Bronze Battle Stars. He was honorably discharged in November 1945. Following military service the Klaus’s made their home in Carroll where Mervin was a carpenter and cabinet maker and in later years was employed as custodian and handy man at St. Lawrence Church and School. He was a member of St. Lawrence Parish and the Carroll and Ames American Legion Posts. Mervin was a physically energetic, mentally acute, and interesting man until the last days of his life. He enjoyed discussions of political and cultural history of the diverse people of the world. When he gave up woodworking he turned his precise and rigorous mind to the construction of wonderful cakes and pies. He also became adept at rendering counted cross stitch to decorate his apartment. He was a faithful and constant Catholic who entered eternity in the arms of his church. Survivors include his children, John Klaus and his wife Carolyn of Ames, Paul Klaus and his wife Janice of Forest Lake, Minn., Robert Klaus of Amana, and Michael Klaus of Carroll; a son-in-law, Dana Thompson of Ames; six grandchildren, Renee Klaus, Frank Klaus and his wife Leila, Stephen Klaus and his wife Christine, James Klaus, Sarah Klaus-Ryan and her husband Shawn, and Scott Thompson; five great grandchildren; a brother, Clarence Klaus and his wife Leona of Long Beach, Calif.; and two sisters, Janice Karl of Des Moines and Donna Wilkes and her husband Ed of Palm Desert, California. He was preceded in death by his wife, Amelia Klaus, in April 1992; a daughter, Annette Thompson; his parents; two brothers, Orlin and Norman Klaus; and sister, Aileen Grafmyre.