Obituary of Theresa Mae Rose Petru

Theresa Mae Rose Petru, age 88 of 605 Greenwood Drive, Iowa City, died Sunday, November 30, 2003 at the Greenwood Manor Care Center in Iowa City. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., Wednesday, December 3, 2003, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City, with burial at Memory Gardens Cemetery. Visitation will be after 12 noon on Wednesday until services at the funeral home. A memorial fund has been established in Theresa’s memory. Online condolences may be sent for Theresa’s family through our website @www.gayandciha.com. Theresa Mae Rose Petru was born November 26, 1915 in Keokuk County, Iowa, the daughter of Ralph and Minda (Ferguson) Derby. In 1935, she was married to Leonard Knopp. She later married Gilbert Petru November 22, 1939 in Keokuk County, Iowa. She and Gilbert farmed in the Riverside area before moving to Iowa City in 1957. For several years, she was employed by the University of Iowa as a maid at Hillcrest dormitory, and later at the Athletic Club. Gilbert died October 13, 1957. She was a member of the Eagles Lodge, Moose Lodge, enjoyed cooking and was accustom to working hard both as a child and in her adult years. Her family includes her daughter, Mary Knopp of Iowa City; brothers, Everett Derby of Sigourney, and Homer Derby of Delta, Iowa; sister, Ruth Baxter of Oskaloosa, Iowa, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, and three sisters, Wilma Davis, Ellen Lyngaas, and Myrtle Cihla.