Gordon C. Harms

SIOUX CITY -- Gordon C. Harms, 82, of Sioux City passed away Sunday, Dec. 21, 2008, at a Sioux City hospital.

Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, December 27, 2008 at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, with Monsignor Roger Augustine officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, with military rites conducted by the U.S. Navy. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m. and a vigil service at 7 p.m., at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel.

Gordon was born June 25, 1926, in Akron, Iowa, to George and Minnie (Smith) Harms. He received his education at Leeds High School before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in April 1944. He served during World War II, receiving the Victory Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal and the American Area Campaign Medal before his honorable discharge in May 1946. He returned to Sioux City and began working as an orderly at the Sioux City St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital.

It was there that he met D. Joleen Baum, a nurse at the hospital. On Oct. 8, 1947, the two were married in Sioux City. He worked for A.Y. McDonald Plumbing and Heating before joining the crew at Lefkow Supply, where he worked his way up to city sales manager during his 25 years of service. He opened his own water softener business, G & J Sales, which he sold upon his retirement.

He was a past member of the Moose Lodge in Sioux City. He had been a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church since 1952. He enjoyed gardening, having enough vegetables throughout the growing season to keep his neighborhood well supplied. He also was an avid collector of cook books, brass and cuckoo clocks, which began from his clock repair hobby.

He is survived by two children, Linda Ebel of Sioux City and Michael Harms and his wife, Maxine of Nevada, Iowa; grandchildren, Joy Ebel, Matthew Ebel and his wife, Aleschia, Adam Ebel, Jill Ebel and her significant other, Lenny Pickering, Christopher Ebel, Jessica Harms and her husband, Ari Richelson, Joshua Harms and Callie Harms and her significant other, Dennis Frohwein; great-grandchildren, Lilly and Hannah Ebel; a sister, Marilyn and her husband, Pat Kennedy; aunts, Pearl Brunstedt and Bert Briley; sisters-in-law, Dora Baum-Rooney, Connie Baum and Karen and her husband, Bob Reeves; nieces and nephews, Kim Baack (Gordon's goddaughter) and her husband, Brad, Patrick Kennedy, Gary Harms and Julie Hawkinson and her husband, Phil.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Joleen on Feb. 2, 2002; a brother, Eldon Harms; and a nephew, Michael Kennedy.