Funeral scheduled for Friday for Arlington fire victims

ARLINGTON - Funeral services for Gerald “John” Rodenberg, 73, and his two grandsons, Henry Rodenberg, 6, and Ian Rodenberg Jr., 5, all of rural Arlington, will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 7, 2010, at St. John Lutheran Church in Arlington.

The three died four hours into the new year when fire swept through their home three miles south of Arlington.

The boys' parents, Ian Rodenberg Sr., 32, and Julia Rodenberg, 30, and their 9-year-old brother, Christopher, escaped the fire with non- life-threatening injuries, officials said.

The family will greet friends and relatives for two hours before the service at the church.

Although a definitive cause of the fire has yet to be determined, State Fire Marshal Ray Reynolds said it may have been caused by a wood-burning stove, an unattended space heater or smoking materials.

The elder Rodenberg grew up in the Guttenberg area, served in the Army and retired in 1998 after working 25 years at the Ertl Toy Company in Dyersville.

The boys, who were home-schooled by their parents, enjoyed playing games, playing outdoors and spending time with family and friends, according to their obituaries, posted on the Website of the Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home in Oelwein, which is handling the arrangements.