Verna Ione Roemerman's Obituary
Verna Ione (Townsend) Roemerman, 91, passed away peacefully January 15, 2023, at Highland Ridge senior living community in Williamsburg, Iowa. She was born October 24, 1931, on the family farm in Shelly, Minnesota to William and Carrie (Updike) Townsend. Verna was the youngest in her family with three older brothers. She would tell stories about her brothers giving her trouble by putting her cats on the roof of the barn, but she loved them all anyway.
At an early age, Verna and her family moved to southern Iowa, where she was involved in 4-H, played basketball and enjoyed big band music. She worked at Lake Wapello during school breaks and graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1949. A few years later, she married the love of her life, Virgil Roemerman on March 24, 1951, at First Christian Church in Ottumwa.
After they were married, Verna and Virgil moved to Ames where Verna worked for the Iowa Department of Transportation. The couple had three children, Michael, Jaymie and Martin, and the family lived in several towns while the kids were growing up: Williamsburg, Fairfield, Maquoketa, and Oskaloosa. Verna was a member of the churches and fraternal orders in those communities, serving on committees and hosting them at her home. She also worked as a bookkeeper for the Jackson County Engineer's Office in Maquoketa.
As empty nesters, Verna and Virgil settled in Centerville where Verna enjoyed gardening, arts and crafts, interior decorating, and spending time with her grandchildren during their summer breaks. Each time her family came to visit, Verna had made something new for each of them and redecorated a room in her home. The couple also enjoyed traveling around the Midwest and Pacific Northwest to visit their families, and Verna was also active with Mercy Hospital Auxiliary and Faith United Methodist and First United Methodist churches in Centerville.
Verna is survived by her husband of 71 years, William Virgil Roemerman of Williamsburg; sons Michael (Susan) Roemerman of Mahtowa, Minnesota and Martin (Angela) Roemerman of Iowa City; nine grandchildren David Roemerman, Geoff (Ashley) Roemerman, Krista Roemerman, Chris (Raquel) Paine, Erin (Matthew) Kelley, Meredith Roemerman, Kaitlyn (Adam) Wright, Daniel (Tyler) Roemerman and Anna Roemerman, and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her daughter Jaymie (Roemerman) Paine, her parents, brothers Dean, Keith and Donald Townsend, and sister-in-law and dear friend Evelyn Townsend.
A celebration of life will be held at a later date.
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