Randolph, Virginia Nemmers

Virginia Nemmers Randolph, 93, of Anamosa, died Monday evening, Aug. 17, 2009, at the Hiawatha Care Center following a period of declining health. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. today at Goettsch Funeral Home, Anamosa. The Rev. Marta Mathatas will officiate at the services. Interment will be in Masonic Cemetery, Tipton.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

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Surviving are two sons, Barry Nemmers, New York City, N.Y., and Mark Nemmers, Sacramento, Calif.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and her husbands, Clarence Nemmers and Oris Randolph.

Virginia Ellen Schneider was born May 27, 1913, in Tipton, Iowa, the daughter of Howard and Carrie Cripliver Schneider. Virginia graduated from the Springdale High School in 1930. She then continued her education at the University of Iowa, receiving a bachelor's degree in botany in 1936. Virginia Schneider and Clarence Nemmers were married Oct. 27, 1938. The couple lived in Guttenberg, where Clarence opened his dental practice. While he was stationed in Newfoundland during World War II, Virginia worked as an inspector at the Iowa Munitions plant in Burlington. Following Clarence's discharge from the service the couple moved to Anamosa where he started a private practice in dentistry. He later was the dentist at the Iowa Men's Reformatory. The couple moved to Oelwein in 1966 and Clarence went back to private practice. He preceded Virginia in death in 1977. She returned to Anamosa in 1978 and later married Oris Randolph. He preceded her in death in 1984.

Virginia was a member of the United Methodist Church, United Methodist Women, PEO, Concord Round Table and the Fortnightly Club. She served on the Anamosa Library Board from 1959 until 1964. In 1965, she was part of a six-week tour of Eastern Europe and Russia during the Cold War Era. She was the host mother to the first Japanese foreign exchange student in Anamosa, Fumi Mori. She visited him and his family in Tokyo in 1988. From 1963 until 1968, Virginia conducted surveys for several national polling companies, including the Gallup Poll and Iowa Poll. In later years Virginia wrote essays and poems and continued class work at the University of Iowa. Some of her writings are held in the Iowa Women's Writers Archives at the U of I Library.

Virginia's sons would like to thank Silver Crest of Anamosa and the Hiawatha Care Center for her excellent care during her time with them.