Kathryn Elaine Verbrugh

Kathryn E. (Kroll) Verbrugh, 74 of Sioux City, passed away on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at her residence, comforted by family.  Funeral Services will be at 2:00 p.m. today, Friday, June 10, 2022 at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel with Baha’I prayers led by the members of the Sioux City Baha’i faith.  Burial will follow at Liberty-Perry Township Cemetery, rural Hinton, Iowa.  Visitation, with family present, will be one hour prior to the funeral service at funeral home.  By her own request, please do not wear black to her funeral, wear bright, flowery cloths so it’s like a garden of many colors. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice of Siouxland, or June E. Nyland Cancer Center.  Online condolences may be offered at www.meyerbroschapels.com

Kathryn was born on October 9, 1947 in Cherokee, Iowa to Ralph W. and Henrietta L. (Hays) Kroll.  She graduated with the Class of 1965 from Hinton, and continued her education at Western Iowa Tech.  She was medical transcriptionist in the Siouxland area while in the work force, along with being a valued volunteer with Hospice for years.  She married Albert J. Verbrugh on January 24, 1988 at the Perry Township Community Hall, rural Hinton. The couple lived in White Horse, Yukon and Haifa, Israel before returning to Sioux City in 1995. 

My dear family! I hope you each realize that my heart overflows with love for you.  It is now too late for me to express that love in person and I find it difficult to express it here in writing.  I can only hope that my actions over the years have, to some degree demonstrated that love to you in a way that you were able to receive it.  I feel blessed to have shared this time and space with you as sister, aunt, cousin, or niece.  More than that, I feel blessed beyond measure for our Baha’i heritage.  It is an honor to be a descendant of those who led the way: our great grandmother Pauline Jugel Luehr, our grandmother, Sophie Dorothy Louise Luehr Hays, and our beloved parents, Ralph Wilson Kroll and Henrietta Lorine Hays Kroll.  These valiant souls recognized the validity of the claim of Baha’u’lla’h to be the Call of God Himself and put a strong foundation in place for us, their descendants.  For their tremendous efforts, I do remain eternally grateful and hope that generations to come will investigate, recognize, and champion the Cause of Baha’u’lla’h in a way that is worthy of that legacy.

Dearly loved friends and family! Most of you will have memories of discussions we had about God, religion, morals, ethics, life, government, reality – all those “deep” subjects that so many people shy away from.  I loved those discussions and was always invigorated by them.  Just so you know where I was coming from in all those discussions, let me say that the underlying truths at the core of my belief is, 1)the oneness of God, 2)the oneness of religion, and 3) the oneness of mankind.  It seems to me that if every individual could know those truths, not just on an intellectual level, but in their very heart and soul, the world would be a much more hospitable place.  I hope that you will ponder those truths, think about the implications of those truths, and try to live up to those truths in your daily life.  I urge you to investigate the claims of Baha’u’lla’h with an open and unbiased heart and soul while there is yet time.

My dear friends and family! At this time when you may be feeling sadness and grief because of my passing, please do not spend your precious time and energy mourning. Go now into your tomorrow confident that we will meet again.

I leave you with these words of “Abdu’l-Baha’, “I pray to God that daily ye may advance in spirituality, that God’s love may be more and more manifested in you, that the thoughts of your hearts may be purified, and that your faces may be ever turned toward Him.  May you one and all approach the threshold of unity, and enter in the Kingdom.  May each of you be like unto a flaming torch, lighted and burning bright with the fire of the Love of God.”

Left to cherish her memories include her siblings: Janet Johnson, Wayne (Stephanie) Kroll, Marjorie Baker, Rosemary (Bill) Goebel, David (Pam) Kroll, Kevin (Jerine) Kroll, and Judith (Roy) Williams; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Kathryn was preceded in death by her parents, husband Albert, and brothers Loren and Leonard Kroll.