Zuber, Adaline Valentine

Adaline Valentine Zuber, passed away in her dream Feb. 15, 2010, the day after celebrating her 92nd birthday. Adaline had dreamed of a facility where aged people of Amana could find rest and peace and it became a reality in 1971 when Colonial Manor of Amana opened. Adaline was the Colonial Manor treasurer and board member for many years. She spent her last days peacefully at Colonial Manor of Amana (her home).

Mass of Christian Burial: 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Marengo, with Father Joseph Roost officiating. Burial: Calvary Cemetery, Marengo. Visitation: 3 to 7 p.m. Friday at Kloster Funeral Home, with a Scripture Service at

7 p.m.

A memorial fund has been established.

Adaline Valentine Duda was born in Belle Plaine, on Valentine's Day, Feb. 14, 1918, the oldest of three children born to Thomas and Elsie Kokesh Duda. She graduated from Belle Plaine High School and went on to graduate in 1941 from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in Cedar Rapids. She worked in the Anamosa Hospital, the Woodward State Hospital and then in the Miller Hospital in Williamsburg where she spent many years. When Dr. Miller was called into World War II she spent days working and living nights at the hospital taking care of patients. She was known as “Duda” to all patients who knew her. When the Miller Hospital closed, Adaline spent her time at various jobs and volunteering. She worked at the South Amana Store and spent years as a clerk at the South Amana Post Office. She was a tour guide for the Amanas and enjoyed being with the tourists and joking with them.

Adaline spent years as a volunteer for the Iowa County Tuberculosis Christmas Seals campaign and served as president of the Iowa Tuberculosis Association. She organized the Parent Teachers Association for the Amana Schools and served as its president. She was among the original volunteers for Hospice of Iowa County. She was a Washington Township election judge for over 50 years. She also loved to garden. People would enjoy her short humorous quips such as her greeting of “howdy duda day” and her expression of “hanging in there” when asked how she was.

While working at the South Amana Hotel to earn money for nursing school, she met Herbert Zuber. They were married on May 10, 1941, in St. Michael's Church in Belle Plaine. They spent their married life in the home they built in South Amana.

Adaline is survived by her son, Thomas (Janet) Zuber of Cedar Rapids; daughter, Patricia Starbuck of Portage, Ind.; grandchildren, Rebecca Zuber of Brooklyn, N.Y., Heather Zuber of Anaheim, Calif., Holly (Josh) Burkhart of Newhall, Brenda (Craig) Vanderploeg, and Chad Starbuck; great-grandchildren, Jessica, Nicole, Joshua Vanderploeg, all of Fulton, Ill.; and a sister, Dorothy (Ray) Snitil of Cedar Rapids.

Adaline was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Herbert in 1992; and a brother, Leo Duda.

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