Virginia Dunham

Virginia Mae Dunham, age 92, Carroll and formerly of Glidden passed away on Thursday, February 25, 2016 at St. Anthony Nursing Home in Carroll. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, February 29, 2016 at the Church of Christ in Carroll with Rev. Gale Juhl officiating. Friends may call at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll after 5:00 P.M. on Sunday where there will be a prayer service at 6:30 P.M. The casket will be moved to the church at 8:30 A.M. on Monday where visitation will resume until the time of service. Music for the service will be by Trish Roberts as pianist and Melissa Nystrom, Carmen Schimmer, and Maria White as vocalists. Casket bearers will be Virginia’s Grandsons and Great Grandsons: Kristoffer Knerl, Mitchell Tiefenthaler, Jonathan Dunham, Josuha Sutter, Dylan Toepke, Brett Payne, Wyatt Toepke, Alex Payne, Drake Miller, Ethan Payne, and Mason Knerl. Honorary casket bearers will be Virginia’s Granddaughters and Great Granddaughters: Julie Payne, Paula Toepke, Greta Sutter, Angie Miller, Cassie Sullivan, Lacey Wolf, Lexie Sutter, Lauren Sutter, Shaela Tiefenthaler, Jadyn Knerl, Kayla Miller, Lilah Wolf, Alaina Sullivan, and London Wolf. Burial will be in the Merle Hay Memorial Cemetery near Glidden. In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established in Virginia’s name and may be left at the funeral home or the church. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com Born on April 14, 1923 on her family’s farm home west of Spencer, IA, she was the daughter of Chris and Ora (Lighter) Tuschoff. Virginia spent most of her early life in the Spencer area. While growing up she was active in 4-H and was named the Best Groomed Girl of O’Brien County one year and won a trip to the state contest in Ames. While in high school she often taught young children in Sunday School and helped with Vacation Bible School. Virginia learned to sew at an early age and made lots of her own clothes and those of her three sisters as well. She graduated from Moneta Consolidated School and from there went to Minnesota Bible College for two years. It was there that she met her husband Logan Dunham whom she married on June 18, 1943. To this union were born five children: James, Paul, Linda, Mark and Kimberly. Virginia followed her husband in his Ministries and kept his white shirts washed, starched, sprinkled and ironed. A big job in those days. For seven years, Logan and Virginia had the Vespers Service at the Junior Youth Camp at Cedar Lake Area Christian Assembly in the greater Chicago area. He would give the message and she would illustrate in chalk art. They always had a big garden which provided food for their family. She made a large share of the clothing for their five children. Virginia did sewing for others and made drapes for a while. She was an excellent wife, mother, grandmother, housekeeper, and minister’s wife. At age 52, after the children were gone, except Kimberly, she went back to school and earned her license to be Licensed Practical Nurse. That was hard work but she made good grades as you had to in order to graduate. She worked in hospitals and nursing homes until she was 75 ½ years old, at which time she had double knee replacement, both the same day. She also did physical exams for several insurance companies. Virginia taught chalk art and many of the students still do the art work. Logan and Virginia moved to Glidden in 1997. She has made her home at St. Anthony Nursing Home since September of 2015. Virginia is survived by two daughters: Linda Knerl and her husband Mike of Lincoln, Nebraska, and Kimberly Tiefenthaler and her husband Kim of Carroll; three sons: Jim Dunham and his wife Pam of Saybrook, Illinois, Paul Dunham of Saybrook, Illinois, and Mark Dunham and his wife Rhonda of Moberly, Missouri; ten grandchildren; fifteen great grandchildren; two sisters: Ardyce Stevenson and her husband Bill of Spencer, Lois McConkey of Lewistown, MT, a sister-in-law Alice Tuschoff of Austin, Minnesota; a brother-in-law Bob Griffiths of Spirit Lake; and several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Virginia was preceded in death by her parents, brother Merle Tuschoff, daughter-in-law Gwen Dunham, sister Gerry Griffiths, her husband Logan Dunham on February 21, 2015, and brother-in-law Ron McConkey.