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Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Francis Toale
FRANCIS TOALE Independence Francis M. Toale, 97, of Independence, died Sunday, Feb. 8, 2015, at the ABCM Rehabilitation Center's East Campus in Independence. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. John's Catholic Church, Independence, with Msgr. Thomas Toale presiding. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery, Independence. Friends may call from 3 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Reiff Funeral Home & Crematory, Independence, and from 9 a.m. until services Thursday at the church. A parish wake service will be held at 3 p.m. followed with a rosary at 4 p.m. and a military memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. Francis was born on Dec. 20, 1917, in Independence, Iowa, the son of Mark and Teresa (Gibbons) Toale. He attended country school and later served in the U.S. Navy on the battleship USS Idaho from 1942 to 1945. He was proud of his service to his country. He was very active in the local community having been past VFW commander and American Legion. He proudly traveled in the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C., in May 2010. Francis was a lifelong farmer on his family farm and had been an Iowa Master Farmer and a Master Pork Producer. Other community involvement included being a 4-H leader, township trustee and ASCS board member. He was a member of St. John's Catholic Church in Independence, served on numerous councils and boards, and was a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. He married Clara Marie DePaepe on April 28, 1947, in Independence. He is survived by his wife, Clara; six children, Rosemary (Ron) Engelhardt of Elkader, Richard (Ann) Toale of Independence, Roger Toale of California, Msgr. Thomas Toale of Dubuque, Don (Marty) Toale of Independence and Sue (Tom) Knapp of Des Moines; 18 grandchildren; and 35 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Eileen DePaepe. Memorials may be directed to the Francis M. Toale Memorial Fund, c/o BankIowa, 231 First St. E, Independence, IA 50644 To leave an online condolence, please go to www.reifffuneralhome.com under obituaries.
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