Virgil Whittle

Virgil P. Whittle, 78, of Waukon, died Monday, February 14, 2005, at Northgate Care Center in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Wednesday, February 16 at 11 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Wexford Catholic Church in Lansing, Iowa, with Fr. Louis Trzil officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon where there was a 4 p.m. Scripture Service.
Virgil Paul Whittle was born March 6, 1926, on the rural Clayton County, Iowa, farm of his parents, Alphonsis and Alice (Berns) Whittle. He attended country school in Clayton County.
On February 11, 1947, he married Claire Heatley at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Dubuque, Iowa. From 1947 until 1951 he worked for Dubuque Packing Plant. In 1951 he purchased the Wexford area farm his parents were farming. Virgil operated a dairy herd and raised crops and horses. He was a member of Immaculate Conception Wexford Catholic Church, Upper Iowa Saddle Club, and a former member and past president of the Lansing School Board. Virgil enjoyed playing Euchre and 500, attending weekly sales at the sale barn, and spending time with his family and friends.
Survivors include his wife Claire of Waukon; three sons, Larry (Bev) and Alan (Carmen), both of Decorah, and Gary (Carol) of Harpers Ferry; two daughters, Eileen (John) Curtin and Bonnie (Ray) Wagner, both of Lansing; 15 grandchildren; two brothers, Ray (Linda) of Cedar Rapids and Donald of Dubuque; two sisters, Lucille (Clarence) Hird of Farley, Iowa, and Janice (Fred) Soop of Cary, Ill.; and a sister-in-law, Georgia Whittle of Elkader.
He is preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Joe; and a sister, Ardale.
Honorary casketbearers are Kelli Brown, Julie and Cheryl Wagner, Jenna Whittle, and Lea Ann Upton. Casketbearers are Aaron, Jesse, Derek, and Matthew Whittle, Brian and Brad Curtin, and Tom and Paul Wagner.