Beverly 'Bev' Winkie

BEVERLY "BEV" WINKIE

Belle Plaine

Beverly "Bev" Winkie, 86, of Belle Plaine, Iowa, passed away Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020, at the Oldorf Hospice House, Hiawatha, Iowa.

Bev was born Aug. 11, 1933, to John and Bertha (Janssen) Kraft in rural Chickasaw County, Iowa. She graduated from Ionia High School, Ionia, Iowa, in 1951. Following high school, she received her teaching certificate at the Iowa State Teachers College and later returned to receive her B.A. in elementary education. In 1953, Bev married Wallace Winkie in Nashua, Iowa. The couple moved to Belle Plaine, Iowa, where Bev began her teaching career. After several years, Bev put her career on hold as she stayed home to raise her family. When the children were older, she resumed her career as an educator. In 1982, Bev began working for the Department of Defense Schools in what was then West Germany. She spent six years teaching lower elementary classes. In 1990, she retired and returned to Belle Plaine.

Following her retirement, Bev began a new career as an active volunteer in her community and state. Her most recent positions included president of the Wallace Winkie Foundation and board member of the Heritage Area Agency on Aging. In 2015, she was appointed by Gov. Terry Branstad to the Iowa Commission on Aging. She was president of the Belle Plaine Historical Society for a number of years and led efforts to establish the Belle Plaine Area Museum. Bev also served on the Iowa Museum Association Education Committee, the Belle Plaine School Foundation, the Benton County Cancer Association, the Belle Plaine School Board and was active in numerous other local and state organizations.

Her pastimes included playing cards, crocheting, doing Tai Chi and making the best fudge and divinity for family and friends. She was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt and friend.

She is survived by her children, Steven (Brigitte) Winkie, Dusti Winkie, Wendi Winkie and Eric (Lisa) Winkie; grandchildren, Kevin, Ian (Kathryn), Stefanie (Dustin), Claire, Anders and Elizabeth; great-grandchildren, Nick, Izzy, Forrest, Sebastion, Leo, Roran and Zoe; siblings, Helen Knapp and Richard (Vera) Kraft.

Bev is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wallace Winkie (2013); and siblings, Marvin, Leroy, Shirley, Eileen, Merlin and Kenny.

Services are 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the First Lutheran Church in Belle Plaine with Pastor Dean Duncan officiating. Burial will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery in Belle Plaine.

Visitation is 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Hrabak-Neuhaus Funeral Service in Belle Plaine. Memorials may be directed to the Wallace Winkie Foundation. Online condolences can be sent to www.neuhausfuneralservice.com.