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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.
Blank, Alma A.
Alma A. Blank, 91, formerly of Walker and rural Rowley, died Friday, Jan. 29, 2010, at Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids. Services: 1 p.m. Tuesday, Walker United Methodist Church, Walker, by the Rev. Norm Kelley. Family will greet friends from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Walker. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, Cedar Rapids.
Survivors include a son, Raymond (Marti) Blank of Stanford, Mont.; three daughters, Gloria Blank of Prior Lake, Minn., Joy (Allen) Schmid of Clinton, and Lisa (Kevin) Saunders of Winthrop; nine grandchildren, Ryan (Ryanne) Blank, Shawn Blank, Sabrina (Kevin) Call, Kate (Miguel) Chiqui, Ange (Joshua) Volker, Paula Schmid, Brian (Emily) Saunders, Kris (Ben) Schlesser and Lyle Saunders; great-grandchildren, Paul R. Blank, Savannah and Isabelle Toller and baby Chiqui; one sister, Edna (Ed) Lingo; and two nephews, Gary (Sue) McDowell and Doug (Donna) Wachal.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband on Jan. 12, 2001; a daughter, Terril Ann Blank; one brother, Walter Wachal; and one sister, Esther McDowell.
Born Jan. 26, 1919, near Walker, Iowa, to Joseph and Anna (Janko) Wachal, she married Paul Wesley Blank on Nov. 27, 1943, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. A 1936 graduate of Wilson High School in Cedar Rapids, Alma and Paul farmed in the Walker and Rowley area for many years. In her early years, she was employed as a tailor's assistant and worked at Collins Radio during World War II.
Alma was past president of the Walker Rare Club, a member of Royal Neighbors and the Walker United Methodist Church. She served for many years as a “Grandma reader” at the schools in Walker and East Buchanan. In 1993, she received the Governors Volunteer of the Year Award for Education. Alma enjoyed painting, reading, writing, traveling and being an advocate for children and education.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Walker United Methodist Church or Mercy Hospice in memory of Alma.
Please sign the online guest book for Alma at under obituaries.
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