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.
Claudia Warfel
Claudia Warfel
Cedar Rapids
Claudia Warfel, 81, of Cedar Rapids, passed away Wednesday, March 22, 2023, at Oldorf Hospice House in Hiawatha. Services will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 28, at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Cedar Rapids. A visitation will be held 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, March 27, at the church. Burial: Oak Knoll Cemetery, Sterling, Ill.
Survivors include two sisters, Barbara (Tom) Read and Jackie (Timothy) Sweet, both of Cedar Rapids; nieces and nephews, Darcie (Kraig) Knutsen, Darin Read, Brian Read, Julie (Ryan) Schlader, Kimberly (Matthew) Anderson and Jennifer (Chris) Sweet-Williams; and great-nieces and nephews, Kyle and Augie Knutsen, Trevor and Hudson Read, Cameron and Macy Schlader, Abigail, Austin and Connor Anderson, and Finn Sweet-Williams; along with many cousins.
Claudia was preceded in death by her parents; longtime friend and roommate, Emily Sweet; and brother in-law, Lyle Nesemeier.
Claudia was born Feb. 18, 1942, in Sterling, Ill., to Claude and Lydia Warfel. She was raised in Milledgeville, Ill. Claudia attended Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She then moved to Cedar Rapids, where she lived until her death. Claudia was employed by Collins Radio for 10 years. She then attended Kirkwood Community College and received her Registered Nursing degree in 1974. She worked in the orthopedic department at Mercy Medical Center for 30 years. Claudia was highly respected and loved by her co-workers, patients and doctors. Recently one former co-worker commented “Claudia is a legend at Mercy!” She retired in 2004 and enjoyed golfing, traveling and rooting for the Hawkeyes but, most of all, spending time with her family. Claudie’s sense of humor set her apart. She was witty and never missed an opportunity to make people smile. Claudie was active at Westminster Presbyterian church where she served as a deacon as well as a member of the Health Ministries team. Despite multiple cancer diagnoses, Claudia remained optimistic and her faith never waivered.
Memorial donations may be directed to Westminster Presbyterian Church, Mercy Foundation or the family.
Online condolences and messages may be shared with the family at cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.
Daily Newsletters