116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
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.
Burry, Bernard Joseph
Bernard Joseph Burry, 90, of Keystone, formerly of Cedar Rapids, died Tuesday, May 22, 2012, at home in Keystone. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 29, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Van Horne, with Father Brian Dellaert as celebrant. Friends may register at the church from 10 a.m. until service time. Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery in Victor. Phillips Funeral Home in Keystone is in charge of arrangements.
Bernard was born March 5, 1922, near Victor to August L. and Mary (Murtha) Burry. He married Bonnie Buchenau on Sept. 3, 1946, in Brooklyn. She preceded him in death on Aug. 19, 2005.
Bernard graduated from St. John's Catholic School in 1942. He was drafted into the Army on Jan. 6, 1943, and took basic training at Fort Riley, Kan. He served his nation during World War II overseas in Africa, Sicily, Italy, France, Germany and Austria.
In October 1945, he returned to Victor, where he helped his father for a year on the farm. After his marriage to Bonnie, they moved to her dad's farm in 1947. In 1957, he gave up farming and worked for Allis Chalmers, Wilson's Packing Plant and Hawkeye Seed. In 1960, he started working for Tucker Manufacturing, where he became manager after three years. He worked 26 years as sales manager.
Being too young to retire at 65, he managed Beaver Creek Condos in Cedar Rapids for about 27 years. He moved to Lois Hamann's farm in Keystone in 2008.
He is survived by his significant other, Lois Hamann of Keystone; his brothers, James of Glendale, Calif., and Don Murtha of Wofford Heights, Calif.; his sisters, Margaret Ringler of Marengo and Teresa Freshour of Victor; two nephews and three nieces, Darrell Freshour of Marion, Rick Ringler of Cedar Rapids, Pam Stevens of Marengo, Kay Nodine of Fairland, Okla., and Cheryle Richardson of Rock Island, Ill.; and many great-nephews and great-nieces.
In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his brother, Louis.
Condolences may be left at www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com.
Published May 27, 2012 in The Gazette
Daily Newsletters