Lela Mary Gergen

Lela Mary Gergen, 83, of Lake City, Iowa and formerly of Granville, Iowa died Feb 5, 2025, at Accura Health Care in Lake City, Iowa.

Mass of Christian Burial will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at St. Mary Catholic Church in Alton, Iowa, with Rev. Daniel Greving officiating and Deacon Dan Goebel assisting. Burial will follow at the St. Mary Cemetery in Alton, Iowa. Visitation with family present will be 9:30 until service time on Tuesday, at the Church in Alton. Services have been entrusted to the Fisch Funeral Home & Monument in Remsen, IA. www.fischfh.com

Lela was born July 14, 1941 to Lawrence and Martha (Sanders) Underberg in Lake City, Iowa. She was raised and educated in Fort Dodge, graduating in 1959 from St. Edmond High School. She then continued her education at St. Joseph Mercy School of Nursing in Sioux City.

On January 5, 1963, Lela married David Michael Gergen at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Fort Dodge. The couple lived in Rochester, MN for one year and then moved to Alton. They moved to the Gergen family farm near Granville in 1971 and remained there until David's death in 1996. Lela moved to Orange City and later relocated to Lake City to live near two of her sisters. Lela entered Shady Oaks Care Center (now Accura Health Care) in August 2009 and resided there until her death.

Lela worked as a registered nurse at the Orange City hospital for many years.

Lela belonged to the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Granville and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Alton. She loved reading, doing crossword puzzles and word searches; and tending to her houseplants and flower beds.

Left to cherish her memory are her son Michael (Pam) Gergen of Columbia, MO and daughter Lisa (Donny) Sorlie of Grand Marais, MN; grandchildren Alex Gergen, Maria Gergen, Katie Vander Heiden, Hannah Vander Heiden and John Vander Heiden; sister Margery Hobart; brothers Robert Underberg, Tom (Linda) Underberg, Mike (Louise) Underberg, James Underberg and Jerry (Lynn) Underberg; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents Lawrence and Martha; husband David; sisters Dorothy Demery and Carol Hood; and brothers Ted Underberg and Lawrence Underberg, Jr.