Herbst, Retha I. Baxa

Retha I. Baxa Herbst, 89, died in her Mount Vernon home Tuesday, July 30, 2013, surrounded by her family. Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 3, at Morgan Funeral & Cremation Choices. Visitation will be 9:30 a.m. Saturday until services begin. Burial will be next to her husband, LaVerne, in Mount Vernon Memorial Cemetery.

Retha is survived by a son, Gene (June) Herbst of North Port, Fla.; daughter, Marilyn (Dan) Vittetoe of Cedar Rapids; daughter, Sandy (Bill) Lighthall of Lisbon; 10 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; sister, Darlene Lnenicka of Cedar Rapids; brother-in-law, Leonard Lnenicka of Center Point; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, LaVerne; her parents, Joseph and Edna Smith Baxa; grandson, Ryan Herbst; sisters, Marguerite Mitchell, Marietta Stepanek, Maxine Seiler, Wilma Reynolds, Dorothy Randall and Bonnie Lnenicka; and one brother, George Baxa.

Retha was born Nov. 15, 1923, on a farm near Cedar Bluffs and attended country school at Cass No. 1. She married LaVerne on June 23, 1941, in Kahoka, Mo.; they were married for 61 years. She worked at Collins Radio/Rockwell for 26 1/2 years, retiring in 1985.

She will be remembered for her home-cooked meals, noodles, kolaches, pies and cookies. She enjoyed being with family, playing euchre, fishing in Minnesota and trips to Las Vegas. She will be especially remembered for her kindness toward her children and grandchildren.

Memorials will be given to the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Ambulance Service and Mercy Hospice.

Published Aug. 1, 2013 in The Gazette