Thomas C. Udell

Thomas C. Udell Sr., 83, of Sioux City died Friday, Aug. 12, 2011, at his residence after a short bout with cancer. Services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, with the Rev. Lawrence Burns officiating. Burial will be in St. Michael's Cemetery, South Sioux City. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m., a rosary service at 6:30 p.m. and a vigil service at 7 p.m., at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel, 6200 Morningside Ave.. Condolences may be sent online to www.meyerbroschapels.com. Thomas was born Dec. 15, 1927 in Sioux City, the son of William and Edith (Helfriche) Udell. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Thomas married Mary V. Gill on Oct. 15, 1958, in Elk Point, S.D. She died May 30, 2008, in Sioux City. Thomas worked for Armour & Co. for 38 years until it closed. He then worked for Swift Packing before going to work for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a meat grader. Thomas was a longtime member of St. Joseph Catholic Church. His faith was a big part of his life. He was a member of the U.F.C.W. Union. Thomas enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren and going with Mary to Spirit Lake. He was an Iowa Hawkeye fan. Survivors include three children, Thomas C. Udell Jr. and his wife, Jackie of Galesburg, Miss., Pamela A. Bracken and her husband, Dave of Tarpin Springs, Fla., and Ronald E. Udell and his wife, Kristen of Iowa City, Iowa; one sister, Gloria Goodwin and her husband, Kit of Sioux City; one brother, Gary Udell and his wife, Mary of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; 28 grandchildren; 41 great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Mary; four daughters, Norma Soedrager, Deb Whitmore, Mary "Penny" Greer, Alice Lundgren; and nine brothers and sisters. Pallbearers will be Thomas C. Udell Jr., Ronald E. Udell, Sam Ford, Thomas Meyer, Jake Bracken, Cullen T. Udell, Tyler Greer and Robert Lee. Memorials may be made in his name to the Siouxland Soup Kitchen or the Food Bank of Siouxland. The family would like to extend a special thank you to Angela Schoen and Thomas Meyer (his grandchildren) for the care they gave to their grandfather in his later years.