Wilferd Joseph Becker

Wilferd Joseph Becker

Newhall

Wilferd Joseph Becker, 93, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, with his family by his side, after a short stay at Virginia Gay Care Center in Vinton.

Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, at St. Paul Catholic Church in Newhall with Rev. James Miller officiating. Interment will be held at Holy Cross Cemetery, rural Keystone. Visitiation will be held at the church from 4 until 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1. A memorial fund has been established.

Wilferd was born on the family farm near Newhall on Jan. 16, 1929, to Arlo and Marie Anastasia (Boddicker) Becker. He attended school in Newhall and graduated from Newhall High School with the Class of 1946. On Sept. 19, 1950, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Dorothy Brant, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Newhall. Wilferd farmed for many years near Newhall and then Atkins. In the early 1960s he was known for modernizing the dairy operation on his farm. During those same years, a Cedar Rapids Gazette article highlighted the farm’s large flock of layer chickens. After retiring from farming and moving to Newhall in the late 1980s he founded Becker Insurance Agency and went on to oversee a robust insurance

business for 28 years. Wilferd was an avid outdoorsman, enjoying hunting and fishing. He enjoyed spending hours at his cabin on the Cedar River near Vinton fishing. He provided food for many wild game feed fundraisers as well as the family kitchen table. Wilferd enjoyed gardening. He enjoyed growing flowers and had a room in the house basement with grow lights as well as two small green houses. Geraniums were propagated year after year. Wilferd enjoyed decorating his yard in Newhall for the holiday seasons and he enjoyed completing many carpentry projects.

Wilferd was active in 4-H from the age of 10 and continued through his adult years. He held all offices in his local club and in 1946 he was elected as an officer to the state 4-H council. He was instrumental in assisting with the organization of a State 4-H camp near Madrid, Iowa. He also volunteered as a leader in Eldorado and Fremont Townships. His 4-H background led him to

service as a director on the Benton County Fair Board for 25 years of which he served as board president for seven years. He was proud to claim that he was in attendance at the county fair for 80 consecutive years. Wilferd was a committed attendee of the Keystone Kwitters from the late 1980s through 2020. He was grateful for the relationships he made with the numerous individuals he met and interacted with. He was always ready to help others. Wilferd was a member of St. Paul Catholic Church in Newhall and served many years on the parish council as an usher.

He is survived by children, Andy (Deanne) Becker of Atkins, Dan (Ruth) Becker of Williamsburg, Kevin (Pam) Becker of Atkins, Karla (Tim) Cross of Port Ludlow, Wash.; his daughter-in-law Cathy Becker of Atkins; 17 grandchildren; 36 great-grandchildren; a sister, Mary Lou Becker of Amana; and a brother ,Ted Becker of Center Point.

In addition to his wife and parents, he was preceded in death by his sons, Roger Becker, Jeff and his wife Cheryl Becker; two granddaughters in infancy; and brother,s Harold, Robert, Arlo Jr., and Ralph.

Online condolences: www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com