Herbert Carl Kay

Herbert C. Kay, age 93, of Holstein, passed away on Monday, June 17, 2019 at his home of Holstein.  A funeral service will be held on Friday, June 21, 2019 at 10:30 AM at the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Holstein with the Pastor Bob Lewis officiating.  Burial will be at the Holstein Cemetery of Holstein.  A visitation will be held on Thursday, June 20, 2019 from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM with a prayer service at 6:45 PM at the St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of Holstein.  Military rites will be conducted by the American Legion Dessel-Schmidt Post #225 of Holstein.

Herbert C. Kay was born June 20, 1925, Holstein’s Children’s Day, on the family farm Northeast of Holstein.  Herb was the 5th of seven children born to Carl and Paula (Bumann) Kay.  He attended country school until the 8th grade and then helped his dad farm until his brother Walt came home from WWII and then Herb was then shipped off to Osaka, Japan sitting on top of a rusty bucket of bolts.  He was a member of the PFC 25th Medical Battalion and served as a PVT Medic Aide from March 1946 to April 1947.  While there he had the experience of an earthquake in Kobe, Japan where everyone was shaken out of their bunks.  

He was united in marriage to Joyce Gustafson on March 8, 1951 in Storm Lake, Iowa.  To this union five children were born.  Herb farmed his entire lifetime in Ida County.

Herb was a lifelong resident of Holstein, Iowa where he was a member of St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church.  He was a proud Veteran and member of American Legion Dessel-Schmidt Post #225.  Herb enjoyed the Avenue of Flags and was a volunteer in putting them up and taking them down.  You could always find Herb doing coffee, rolls, and town gossip at 9:00 a.m. He was the “Best Dad in the World” and would do anything for anyone- but you had to earn it.  He loved going to Branson, taking hay to whoever needed it and especially going to the farm.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce of Holstein, IA; five children, Kathleen Wittrock (Bill Ferris) of Cherokee, IA, Mary Gross of Holstein, IA, Susan (Merlin) Jensen of Ottertail, MN, Curtis (Lana) Kay of Holstein, IA and Jeffrey (Therese) Kay of Holstein, IA; six grandchildren, Jason (Deb), Jarod (Stacy), Michael, Katie (Shane), JoAnne and Melissa (Derek); 12 great-grandchildren, Nicholas, Joshua, Andrew, Logan, Mitchell, Blake, Hayden, Emerie, Madalyn, Clayton, Ava and Riley.  He is also survived by a brother, Alvin (Donna) Kay of Sioux City and sisters-in-law, Lorraine Kay of Holstein and Phyllis Rabe of Phoenix, AZ.

Herb was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Robert and Sylvia Gustafson; brother, Walt; sisters and their spouses, Irene (Paul) Ford, Evelyn (Willard) Carlson, Minnie (Jess) Williams and Edna (Ray) Nelson; sister and brother-in-law, Darlene and Bill Bettin; son-in-law, Terry Gross; niece, Shari (Kay) Dunnington and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.

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