Cornelius Edward Tuecke

Cornelius Edward Tuecke was born the son of Edward W. Tuecke and Frances (Matt) Tuecke on September 12, 1916 on the family farm south of Garnavillo. He died peacefully Saturday, February 23, 2008, at the Guttenberg Care Center. Cornelius attended and graduated from the Garnavillo High School in 1934. After graduation he attended Bayless College in Dubuque for one year and then returned to Garnavillo to work for his fathers livery service and hardware store. He entered military service on May 3, 1941 and was attached to Company "H" 136th Medical Regiment and stationed at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana. He transferred to the Enlisted Reserve Corp November 10, 1941, but was called back to active duty December 23, 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After military service he attended Worsham Mortuary School in Chicago where he graduated in 1943. After graduation he served his apprenticeship in Cedar Rapids working for Janeba Funeral Home. On October 6, 1946 he was united in marriage with Borghild Myhre in Spring Grove, Minn. Together they resided in Guttenberg and raised three children. He then opened a funeral home in Guttenberg in 1947. He then opened a second funeral home in Garnavillo in 1955, which was later replaced with a new facility in 1958. In April of 2004, Corn was honored by the Iowa Funeral Directors Association during the 124th Annual Convention for his 60 year membership. In addition to his service to his country, he has also served his community and his church. He served on the church council at St. Johns Lutheran Church during the construction of the present church building which replaced the original structure that was taken down. In the early 60s he was among a group of concerned citizens who envisioned a new hospital to serve the medical needs of the community. That vision became a reality during the construction of the hospital that serves our community yet today. Shortly after that project was completed, he spearheaded efforts to build a nursing home to serve the needs of our senior citizens. That project was also seen through to completion while he served on the original Board of Directors and continued to serve on that board until the facility was sold several years later. During this same period of time he and others envisioned the dream of having a golf course and country club for the community. He helped negotiate the purchase of land, which the Guttenberg Golf and Country Club is located. He served on the original Board of Directors for several years and maintained his membership with the No. 1 share of stock. Corn was also active with the Masonic Lodge, Prairie LaPorte No. 147, the Scottish Rite, and El Kahir Shrine, where as a shriner, he has had the opportunity over the years to sponsor several children to the Shriners Childrens Hospitals. In 2003 he was recognized for his 60 year membership in the American Legion. Those left to cherish his memory is his wife of 61 years, Borghild Tuecke; one daughter, Mary Beth (Rick) Allyn of Guttenberg; two sons, Edward (Sue) Tuecke of McFarland, Wis. And Craig (Kari) Tuecke of Guttenberg; four grandchildren: Beth (Corey) Malecki of Evergreen CO, Allysa Allyn of Lakewood CO, Bill (Joy) Allyn of Guttenberg and Erin Tuecke of McFarland, Wis.; two great grandchildren, McKenna and Riley Malecki; one sister, Eunice Jones of St. Petersburg, Florida. He was preceded in death by his parents; one daughter Pamela in infancy and one sister, Bernice Bowlus.Visitation: Monday 4:00 - 8:00 P.M. February 25, 2008 at the Tuecke-Allyn Funeral Home Guttenberg, Iowa and one hour before service at church.Funeral Service: Tuesday 10:00 A.M February 26, 2008 at St. John's Lutheran Church Guttenberg, IowaInterment: Garnavillo Community Cemetery Service Information A service summary is not available