Roger Allen Jurgensen was born January 20, 1935, to Herman and Adela (Schroeder) Jurgensen on a farm, one mile east of Andrew, Iowa, Jackson County. He was baptized on March 12, 1935, at home by Pastor E.H. Doering and confirmed at Salem Lutheran Church, Andrew, Iowa on March 21, 1948 by Pastor Paul G. Bauer. Roger attended school in Andrew through the 11th grade. The family then moved to Sumner where he graduated from Sumner High School in 1953.
His first job was a construction job with Earl Epperson Construction in Sumner. Roger married Vernette Seehase on August 17, 1955, at St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner with Rev. John Mohr officiating. He volunteered for the draft after being pushed back several times and entered the Army in June of 1957. He took basic training in Fort Riley, Kansas which he completed in December of 1957. A daughter, Cindy was born in December of 1957. Roger left for Germany in January of 1958, and was discharged in March of 1959.
He returned to commercial construction work and took a union apprenticeship to lay brick and block. This apprenticeship took him to jobs in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois. He worked general construction jobs as well. Roger and Vernette ran their own photography business called Home Studio, Inc. from 1962 to 1965. A son, Jeff was added to the family in June of 1964, and a daughter, Valerie joined the family in January of 1966. Roger left the construction field and went to work for the John Deere Company in May of 1973. He owned Roger’s Electronics from 1978 to 1982. In 1985, he was laid off from Deere’s. He did bookkeeping for Vernette’s floral business, the Blumenhaus, from 1981 to 1996, when the business was closed. While laid off, Roger mowed lawns, drove for Bill Doran Company, and worked construction in Cedar Rapids. In 1988, he was called back to Deere’s where he worked until his retirement in 1995. Roger loved to dance and the couple belonged to the Sumner Belles & Beaus Square Dance Club in the 1970’s, and the Cedar Valley Chapter of the Polka Club of Iowa, Inc. from 2001 until his death, which occurred on Monday, March 15, 2010, at his home in Tripoli from lung cancer.
He is survived by his wife, Vernette; children, Cindy (Lance) Hemel, Jeff Jurgensen, and Valerie “Missy” (Darrell) Doss; four grandchildren; three great grandchildren; two brothers, Wayne (June) Jurgensen and Arnold (Morie) Jurgensen; and a sister, Dorothy Mangan.
He was preceded in death by his parents; two granddaughters, a brother; and a brother-in-law.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, March 18, 2010, at St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner. Burial will be at St. John Lutheran Cemetery in Sumner with military rites by Thomas E. Woods Post #223, American legion of Sumner. Friends may call from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 17, 2010, at Becker-Milnes Funeral Home in Sumner and for one hour preceding services at the church on Thursday. Memorials may be given to the family for designation at a later date.
