Gene Ruebel

A celebration of Gene’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, June 14, at First Presbyterian Church, with the Rev. Paul Masters officiating. Family interment services will take place prior to the funeral service with military honors presented by V.F.W. Post No. 1856 and the Iowa Army National Guard. The visitation is from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Friday at Gunderson Funeral Home & Cremation Services. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to First Presbyterian Church or Journeys at Friendship Haven.

Gene Lee Ruebel was born April 23, 1934, to Harry and Mae Swanson Ruebel, at Barnum, Iowa. He graduated from Johnson Township High School in 1952. In 1956, he was drafted and served in the Army in the Engineers, spending time serving in Germany until 1958. He married Pauline Hiveley in June of 1959, and they lived on the Ruebel Century farm at rural Barnum. He was a farmer and also enjoyed some winter jobs off the farm, and for many years sprayed ditches for the county in the summertime. They raised three children on the farm, Gary, Timothy and Karen. He was a 50+ member of First Presbyterian Church and served as elder, deacon and on the foundation board. He served many years as a 4H leader, served on Farm Bureau Board, on Pork Producers and as a township trustee. He always enjoyed his equine, ponies, horses, mules, and donkeys. He rode many miles with his granddaughter, Stacey, and drove many miles with Pauline, and belonged to groups that road and drove.

Gene is survived by his wife of 66 years Pauline; his children, Gary (Barb) Ruebel, of Des Moines; Tim (Peggy) Ruebel, of Afton, Missouri; and Karen (Terry) Lawler, of Clare; eight grandchildren and spouses, 17 great grandchildren and many nephews and nieces, and sisters-in-law, Louellen Steckelberg, Carol Tomlinson, and Michelle Engelbrect of Fort Dodge. He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Mae Ruebel, sister Donna Clough and brothers-in-law, Lawrence Clough, Richard Steckelberg, Maury Tomlinson, and Larry Hiveley, and sister-in-law Shirley Chase.