Loren Russell Mehaffy, 91 WWII Veteran, of Gladbrook Iowa, entered into eternal life Thursday, December 29th at his winter home in Weslaco TX with his family at his bedside. Services will be 2:00 p.m., Sunday January 8th, 2012 at the Gladbrook American Legion Memorial Building. Interment will be in Maple Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., Saturday, January 7, at Goettsch Funeral Home in Gladbrook. Memorial donations to honor Loren may be directed to the American Legion Ehrig-McTurk Post #127, PO Box 127, Gladbrook, IA 50635, and Selah Hospice Care, PO Box 4097, Mission, TX 78572. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.vogelfuneralhomes.com. Goettsch Funeral Home in Gladbrook is entrusted with arrangements.
Loren was born March 25, 1920 on a farm in Yarmoth, Iowa. He was the second of 7 children born to Alice and Russell Mehaffy. Loren joined the Navy, serving his country in Guam, the Philippines, Figi and many other parts of the South Pacific theater as a Navy See Bee.
Loren married Arlene G. Rehder on August 10, 1947 at the Evangelical Reformed Church in Gladbrook. He farmed the Rehder homestead and worked at Fisher Controls and Montgomery Wards in Marshalltown.
Loren enjoyed playing cards, especially cribbage and was famous for baking pies and wedding cakes that were served in many parts of the United States. He was a long time active member and past commander of the Erig McTurk American Legion Post 127 in Gladbrook and the 40 and 8 Club.
Loren's passion was his family: vacations, camping, card games, and the time and love they shared.
He will be greatly missed by his siblings, Cleo Gerst, Grace (DeVon) Mellinger, and Ronald (Patty) Mehaffy all from Burlington, IA, Faye (Andy) Fraise of West Point, IA and Donald (Carol) Mehaffy of Danville, IA, 5 children; Janet and Tom Pryor of Des Moines, NM, Ray and Kara Mehaffy of Crescent, IA, Linda and Chuck Moehring of Carlisle, IA, Russell Mehaffy of Weslaco, TX, Bruce Mehaffy of Omaha, NE, 12 grandchildren; Angela (Pryor) and Todd Gonzales, Misty (Pryor) and Jason Meininger, Nikki Pryor, Shaun and Alicia Mehaffy, Erin (Mehaffy) Miller, Cody Honeysuckle, Christian and Jamie Moehring, Heather (Moehring) and Andy Peterson, Alicia (Moehring) and Ben Ellingson, Brandy (Mehaffy) and Marcel Mutsauer, Beth and Stacy Mehaffy, 15 great-grandchildren; Jordan and Ryan Gonzales, Savanna and Kaleb Mehaffy and Landon Miller, Jonah, Claire, Lillian, and Scarlett Peterson, Solomon, Simon, and Isla Ellingson, Darian and Dillion Mehaffy, and Audriana Mehaffy.
He joins in eternal life, his parents, his wife Arlene, his sister Donna and her husband Ralph, and grandsons Jeremy Mehaffy and Dillon Honeysuckle.

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