Roger D. Iverson

Roger D. Iverson, 87, of Sioux City died on November 8, 2014 under Hospice care at Holy Spirit Home in Sioux City. Memorial services will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2014 at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church, 3939 Cheyenne Blvd., Sioux City, with Pastor Dave Christenson officiating. Visitation will be at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel on Wednesday evening, November 12, 2014 from 5 to 8 p.m., with the family present from 6 to 8 and a prayer service at 7 p.m. Interment will be at a later date at Our Saviour's Cemetery, Kiester, Minnesota. Online condolences can be directed to meyerbroschapels.com. Roger was born March 1, 1927 at the family farm in Freeborn County, Minnesota, the oldest son of Adolph and Mabel (Christianson) Iverson. He was baptized and confirmed at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Scarville, Iowa. He attended a one-room rural school for eight years and graduated from high school in Kiester, Minnesota in 1944. He then enlisted in the army with five of his fellow high school classmates. Iverson enrolled at the University of Minnesota in 1947. He transferred to Iowa State College where he earned a B.S. degree with honors in Agricultural Education in 1951. He returned to Iowa State University several years later to earn an M.S. degree in Agricultural Education and Agricultural Economics. On February 10, 1951 Roger married Ona Lee (Onee) Wittman of Kiester, Minnesota at St. Paul's Lutheran Church there. They were blessed with three wonderful children: Joan Louise, Richard Matthew, and Neal Roger. After graduation from Iowa State, Roger taught Vocational Agriculture at Rolfe, Iowa and Buffalo Center, Iowa. He and Onee operated the Iverson family farm in Minnesota for two years during the absence of his brother during the Korean War. Iverson was employed by the Iowa State University Extension Service in 1957. He served as County Extension Director for Crawford County at Denison until September, 1961, when he was promoted to the District Extension Supervisor position for seventeen southeast Iowa counties and transferred to ISU Extension headquarters in Ames. During his seven year residence in Ames, he served on the Iowa State University Faculty Council and was on the committee that developed the Iowa State University Faculty Improvement Leave Policy. Iverson was appointed Area Extension Director for the seven-county Sioux City Extension Area in 1968 as ISU Extension moved to a program development structure based on a functional economic area concept. During his tenure in the Sioux City Extension Area he also taught an on-campus graduate-level course in Extension Program Development. Roger was an active member of the Sioux City community. He was one of the co-initiators of the Siouxland Youth Hockey program, served on the Easter Seal board of directors and served as a state board member of Lutheran Social Services of Iowa and the state and local Sierra Club boards. He was awarded the Service Key Award by the Iowa State University Alumni Club of Sioux City. He was an active member of the First Lutheran Church, teaching Sunday school and serving two terms on the church council. He served on the Board of Directors of the Iowa 4-H Foundation and held several positions in the Siouxland chapters of N.A.R.F.E. and S.C.O.R.E. Following his retirement, he was a member of the Plymouth County Democratic Central Committee. Roger was an avid reader and enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and hiking in the mountains out West, landscaping, and woodworking. His love of nature and the outdoors was always a big part of his life. When he and Onee moved to an acreage just north of Sioux City in 1984, he was in his element as he planted 1000 trees, some of which he enjoyed selling later for Christmas trees. He was a great story-teller and his family enjoyed hearing about his many adventures growing up on the farm during the Depression-era thirties, as well as tales about life at country school where battles between the Norwegians and the Swedes took place regularly. Roger especially loved his family and all the happy times spent with them. Those left to cherish his memory include his best friend and wife of 63 years, Onee, a daughter and her husband, Joan Iverson Nassauer and Robert Nassauer of Ann Arbor, MI, a son, Richard Iverson of Vancouver, WA, and a son and his wife, Neal Iverson and Kathy Kramer of Ames, IA. Also, four grandchildren, Sarah Nassauer and her husband Jerome Taggert of New York City, Mae Nassauer of Ann Arbor, MI, Joe Iverson of Pasadena, CA and Ellen Iverson of Chicago, IL, great grandchildren Aida and Nica Taggert, sisters Frances Nelson and husband Ed of Minnetonka, MN, Helen Brudvig of Hastings, MN, a brother, Orion Iverson and wife Marian of Emmons, MN, sister-in-law Hazel Kepple of Albert Lea, MN, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, four brothers-in-law Wallace Brudvig, Al Strohschein, Paul Kepple and Elton Matson, two sisters-in law, Helen Strohschein and Lois Matson, and parents-in-law George and Elsie Wittman. Memorials can be directed to the First Lutheran Church in Sioux City, the Iowa 4-H Foundation, or Hospice of Siouxland.