Chuck Gifford

Chuck Gifford, age 64, of Carroll passed away on Thursday, August 6, 2009 at Lake View, Iowa. Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Carroll with Fr. Doug Dandurand as Celebrant. Friends may call at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll after 2:30 P.M. on Tuesday where there will be a Rosary at 3:00 P.M.. The casket will be moved to St. Lawrence Catholic Church at 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday where there will be a Christian Wake Service held at 7:00 P.M. by the parish. Lectors for the Mass will be Larry Matiyow, Sherry Holst, and Doug Gifford. Gift bearers will be Tawnya Harbaugh, Kris Trecker, and Julie Steinkamp. Eucharistic Ministers will be Anita Tegels, Ron Eich, and Jan Eich. Music will be by Marcy Andersen and Justin and Tyler Badding. Casket bearers will be Wes Niles, Jeff Clasen, George Toewers, Curt Turner, Phil Dukes, Dave Vollestedt, Greg Peterson, and Tom Lehman. Honorary casket bearers will be Larry Bloes, Barb Powell, Jim Millenacker, Larry Clark, Phil Squibb, Keith Stribe, Bing Peterson, Gary and Pam Vreeland, and Chuck’s State Farm family. Burial will be in the Carroll City Cemetery. Military honors will be conducted by the Carroll American Legion. Born on December 27, 1944 at Creston, Iowa, he was the son of Lloyd and Helen (Vogel) Gifford. He grew up in Creston where he graduated from Creston High School in 1963. Following high school he attended South West Community College for two years and then graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a degree in education. He was married to Barb Taylor on August 20, 1966 at St. Malachy Catholic Church in Creston. He taught school in King City, Missouri before being drafted into the US Army. He served two years during the Vietnam Conflict and was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service in connection with military operations against hostile forces. Upon return from military service, Chuck obtained his Masters Degree in History from Northwest Missouri State University. He taught history at Villisca for five years before moving to Carroll where the family has lived since 1976. He then taught history at Carroll High and Kuemper High Schools. Chuck worked as a State Farm Insurance Agent from 1979 until retirement in 2008. He was a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Kiwanis, a lifetime member of the American Legion and the V.F.W. He was very active in the community serving several organizations. Chuck enjoyed music, fishing, camping, reading, kayaking, biking, and traveling with his wife Barb. And most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his kids and grandchildren. Surviving are his wife Barb of Carroll; a son Doug Gifford and his wife Tena of Carroll; twin daughters: Stephanie Gifford of Waukee, and Stacie Feilmeier and her husband J.D. of Des Moines; four grandchildren: Sydnee, Brooklyn, Dawson, and Easton; a sister Joann Peterson and her husband Bing of Omaha, Nebraska; three sisters-in-law: Helen Mae Turner of Grinell, Iowa, Caryl Dukes and her husband Phil of Marathon, and Sandra Taylor of Mt Ayr, Iowa; and several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, a brother Robert, and his mother and father-in-law Harold and Margaret Taylor. Chuck passed away in one of his favorite places on earth; Black Hawk Lake. We will miss his contagious laughter, his sense of humor, and his great zest for life.