Obituary of George W. Fonken

His family includes his daughter, Georgia Welch of Iowa City; son and his wife, John and Elaine Fonken of Adel, Iowa; two granddaughters and their husbands, Jennifer and Jason Hall of Ames, and Angela and Ryan Foster of Cedar Falls. George was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Norma, and son-in-law, Roderick T. Welch. During World War II he served in the United States Army. Lieutenant Colonel Fonken seved in the Pacific Theatre where he received the Purple Heart and was awarded the Bronze Star. Following the war the couple moved to Iowa City in 1946 where George had been a civil engineer with the United States Department of Agriculture in the Soil Conservation Service. George Werner Fonken was born June 28, 1911, in Englewood, New Jersey, the son of George H. and Anna (Werner) Fonken. He grew up in Washington D.C., after graduating from high school he attended Gettysburg College, and later graduated from Purdue University with a degree in civil engineering in 1933. On July 23, 1937, he married Norma Leone Potter in Caledonia, Minnesota. He was a member of Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City, the Masonic Lodge, Elks Club and a number of professional organizations during his career. He was an avid golfer, and a talented artist. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in George’s memory to the American Diabetes Association @ 1073Rockford Road, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404.