Florence Edna Gosse

Florence Edna Gosse, 100, Rudd, formerly of Waterloo, died Tuesday, October 18, 2011, at the Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.

A funeral service for Florence will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, October 22, at the St. John Lutheran Church, 1921 317th St., Osage, with Pastor Byron Northwick officiating. Burial will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, October 22, at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Waterloo with Pastor Ronald Spears officiating.

Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Sheckler Colonial Chapel, 114 North Hawkeye, Nora Springs. Visitation will also be held one hour prior to service time on Saturday at the church.

Florence Edna Gosse was born on January 4, 1911, in Manning, Iowa, the daughter of Paul and Ida (Engels) Lehniger. Florence was united in marriage to August Gosse on April 21, 1929, in Oelwein, and to this union two children were born, Albert and Dolores. August preceded her in death on March 15, 1990.

Florence and her husband August farmed in the Oelwein area before moving to Waterloo in 1934, where August worked at John Deere. Florence moved to Rudd in 1993 to be closer to her daughter and grandchildren.

During World War II, Florence made gloves for the troops. Florence was an avid quilter and was in charge of a quilter group at the First Lutheran Church in Waterloo. Florence also enjoyed sewing, rock collecting, crafts and spending time with her family and grandchildren.

Florence always looked forward to being an usher every year at the Hippodrome for the National Dairy Congress.

Florence was a member of the First Lutheran Church in Waterloo, and associate member at St. John Lutheran Church in Osage. Florence was also a member of the ladies circle at the Rudd United Methodist Church and enjoyed sewing book bags for the mission group at the church.

Those left to cherish her memory are her children, Albert (MaryLou) Gosse of Pensacola, Florida, and Dolores (Marvin) Karr of Rudd; three grandchildren, Robert (Pam) Gosse of Pensacola, Florida, Janice Hedrick of Rudd, and Vickie (John) Douglas of Bondurant; seven great-grandchildren, John (Chris) Douglas Jr., Amy (Ginger) Kramer, Tony Kramer, Krissy Kramer, Robert (Jessica) Gosse, Alexander Gosse, and Kelly (Jerry) Wooten; her sister, Wally Wolfe of Maynard; a sister-in-law, Bernice Lehniger of Strawberry Point; as well as many nieces, nephews, and many other extended family members and friends.

Florence was preceded in death by her parents; husband, August; four sisters, Eunice Arp, Ruth Wegner, an infant sister and Charlotte Hamm; one brother, Roy Lehniger; and three grandchildren, Christopher, Greg, and Jeffrey Karr.

Sheckler Colonial Chapel: www.colonialchapels.com.