Obituary of Kathy Van Roekel

Funeral services for Kathleen Van Roekel, 68, of Newton, will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the Pence~Reese Funeral Home in Newton, who have been entrusted with the arrangements. A visitation will be held after 9 a.m. Thursday, and with the family from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. In LIEU of flowers, memorials in Kathy's name are being designated. Kathy Van Roekel, the daughter of W. Clyde and Geraldine L. (Thatcher) Snook, was born October 10, 1941, in Newton, Iowa. She attended Newton schools. On July 3, 1959, Kathy was united in marriage with Dwight Van Roekel in Newton. Kathy loved the outdoors and enjoyed partnering with her husband in farming the land. She enjoyed trail riding, "gator" riding, photography, and had a passion for "her people" as a nursing home advocate. Kathy was a member of Community Heights Alliance Church in Newton. Kathy died November 7, 2009, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines. She was 68 years old. She was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter Kristy Kay Mullinnix, and a granddaughter, Maggie. Those left to honor Kathy's memory include her husband, Dwight of Newton, IA; her daughters, Laurie (Mark) Hardin of Orange Park, FL and Tammy Van Roekel of Newton, IA; her granddaughters, Nicole Kathleen Koehn, Lyndsi Kathleen Hardin, Aubri Kathleen Mullinnix; her great granddaughter, Aaliyah Kathleen Koehn; and her sisters, Kay Beard and her fianc, Russ Norcross of Newton, IA and Karen (Dave) Strovers of Kellogg, IA.