Alfred Walter “Wally” Erkel, the son of Alfred and Renetta (Poehler) Erkel, was born October 11, 1928 in Mankato, Minnesota.  Wally was confirmed at St. JohnLutheranChurch in Sumner, Iowa and graduated from SumnerHigh School in 1947.  He served with the U.S. Navy SeeBees from 1950-1954 as a Construction Builder First Class.  He was stationed at Guam and Chichi Jima in the Pacific Ocean.  Wally was united in marriage with Evelyn Toenges on January 2, 1953 at TrinityLutheranChurch in Hawkeye, Iowa.  Wally and Evelyn have farmed northeast of Sumner since 1955.  In addition to farming, Wally was a bus driver and maintenance director for the SumnerCommunitySchool District for twenty-two years.  He also worked for the A.S.C. Department of the U.S.D.A. for many years.

            Wally’s death occurred Friday, October 23, 2009 at CommunityMemorialHospital in Sumner, after a long battle with cancer.  He was eighty-one years old.  Wally was a member of St. JohnLutheranChurch in Sumner and had served on the church council many times.  He was also a Fayette County Community Committeeman for ten years; a member of the Fayette County Extension Council; a member of the Steering Committee for the Sumner Co-Op; and a member of the Thomas E. Woods American Legion Post #223 in Sumner.  Wally loved playing with his grandchildren, woodworking, jigsaw puzzles, and traveling the byways of Northeast Iowa.

            Wally is survived by his wife, Eveleyn, of Sumner; two children, James (Sherrie) Erkel of Central City, Iowa; and June Erkel of Waterloo, Iowa; three grandchildren, Dan (Angie) Erkel of Marion, Iowa; Julie (Andrew) Erkel-Hagee of Waterloo, Iowa; and Matt Erkel of Minneapolis, Minnesota; four great grandchildren, Brennan, Wyatt, Hailey, and Jakob; two brothers, Robert C. (Jenny) Erkel of Lynnwood, Washington; and Harold J. “Pat” (Joyce) Erkel of Iowa City, Iowa; and one sister, Gretchen (Guy “Jeep”) Jones of Cambridge, Illinois.

            Wally was preceded in death by his parents.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, October 28, 2009, at St. John LutheranChurch in Sumner with Rev. William Runaas, Jr. and Intern Jealaine Marple officiating. Friends may call from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Tuesday, October 27, 2009, at Becker-Milnes Funeral Home in Sumner and for one hour preceding services at the church on Wednesday. Interment will in St. JohnLutheranCemetery in Sumner.