In Memory of Lois LaVonne Zobel

Lois LaVonne (Bandow) Zobel

Lois Zobel of Ida Grove Iowa passed away on September 12, 2013 after a long illness.  She was born on May 22, 1933 to Esther (Maas) and Henry Bandow and grew up on a farm outside of Denison, Iowa.  She attended Denison High School.  She married Victor Zobel on December 28, 1955. Lois and Victor made their home on the family farm outside of Arthur, Iowa until moving their family to Ida Grove in 1970. 

Lois was involved in the community; she was a member of the Ida Grove Hospital Board and the Ida Grove School Board.  She was a member of the Ida Grove Lutheran Church and taught Sunday School for many years. She worked at the Ida Grove Country Club and once all her own children were grown, she worked as an aide at the Ida Grove Elementary School. One of her proudest awards was winning Mother of the Year in 1975.  
The couple was blessed with 8 children----Kim (Sheila) Zobel of Ida Grove, Iowa; Kay (Larry) Brown of Brewer, Maine; Kendall (Margarett) Zobel of Galva, Iowa; Kathi (Rusty) Ketelsen of Ida Grove, Iowa; Karla (Steve) Phelps of Blythe, California; Krystal (Mohsen) Hasan of Queens, New York; Kandi (Butch) Ehrig of Ida Grove, Iowa; Kevin Zobel of Ida Grove, Iowa.

Lois loved not only her children but also her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was blessed with 18 grandchildren: Shannon Zobel, Tonya Eggsphueler, Kayla Zobel, Joey Brown, Becky Bulkley, Jared Zobel, Christie VanHouten, Michael Zobel, Lauren Ketelsen , Rhett Ketelsen, Stevie Phelps, Lindi Phelps, Adam Hasan, Sami Hasan, Ali Hasan, Nathan Ehrig, Zach Ehrig, and Dylan Ehrig, and 8 great grandchildren:  Ethan Zobel, Elizabeth Zobel, Cyler Eggsphueler, Cole Eggsphueler, Conner Bulkley, Aiden Bulkley, Sophia VanHouten, Wyatt VanHouten and Zach Phelps. In addition, she was a surrogate grandmother to over 20 children that she babysat throughout the years in her home daycare.

Everyone, friends and family, enjoyed her homemade bread, chocolate chip cookies and ice cream dessert and getting treats from her candy jar. Her family especially enjoyed birthdays when she would bake her angel food cake that was nicknamed by one of her grandchildren “the cake with the hole in the middle”. Lois enjoyed her plants and flowers and won Yard of the Month.  She cherished her many collections, but especially her collection of plates and Santa Clauses given to her by her family.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her paternal parents, Louis and Anna Zobel; daughter, Kathi Ketelsen; grandchildren Brittany Zobel and Joshua Ehrig.

Lois touched the lives of so many and will be missed by her family and friends.