Herman Francis Rickerl

Funeral Mass for Herman Francis Rickerl will be held 10:30 A.M. Saturday December 31, 2016 at St Patricks Catholic Church in Le Roy with Father Marreddy Pothireddy officiating. Burial will take place in the church cemetery. Visitation will be held 5 – 7 p.m. on Friday December 30, 2016 at the Hindt Funeral Home in Le Roy with a public Rosary being recited at 4:30 p.m. visitation will continue on Saturday at the church from 9:00 a.m. until 10:20 a.m.

Herman F. Rickerl, age 87, of Rural Riceville died Wednesday, December 28, 2016 at Riceville Family Care and Therapy Center.

Herman Francis Rickerl was born on September 17, 1929, in rural Story City, IA to Frank and Julia (Baldus) Rickerl. He attended Willow Grove Country School thru the 8th grade and graduated from Gilbert High School in 1947. On November 21, 1955, he was united in marriage to Joan Barhite in rural Gilbert, IA at St Peter and Paul Catholic Church, where he was also baptized, had his First Communion and was confirmed. He was a devout Catholic and a devoted husband and father. He was employed by the Gilbert Co-Op, and farmed with his father, Frank. He also helped build the dorms at Iowa State University.  In 1958 Herman, Joan and their daughter Carmin moved to rural Howard County Iowa where they milked cows, raised hogs and cattle, and farmed into his early 80’s. He was a former board member of the Le Roy Co-Op Elevator and a former Oakdale Township Trustee.

His wife Joan died in 1994. On January 3, 1998 he was united in marriage to Violette Thompson. She passed away in 2009.

Herman is survived by his son, Loren (Penny) Rickerl; 2 daughters, Carmine (Dean) Swenson and Janelle (Gary) Sunnes all of Riceville, IA; 12 grandchildren: Kevin (Tara) Swenson, Michael (Tiffany) Swenson, Rebecca (Robert) Jones, Jason (Belinda) Swenson, Sheila (Jason) Wadey; Ryan, Kayla, and Emily Rickerl; Dana (Matt) Strottman, Joanna, Dianna, and Hannah Sunnes; 4 step-grandchildren: Amanda (Tony) DeGrote, Andrew (Mary Anna) Carls, Ben (Stephanie) Olson and Sarah Olson; 17 great-grandchildren; 5 step great-grandchildren; a sister Bernadette Hathaway of Grand Meadow, MN, sisters-in-law Joan (Quentin) Rickerl of Austin, MN and Mary Jean Kinsinger of Iowa Falls, IA; step- daughters Ellen Olson of Ames, IA, and Jeanne Carls of Lakeville, MN.  Herman was preceded in death by his parents, his first wife Joan in 1994, and by his second wife, Violette in 2009; 3 brothers, Theodore, George and Quinten; 3 sisters, Veronica Gallagher, Christine Sampson and Cecelia Hathaway; step-son, William Pearson; a granddaughter, Kelsey Rickerl and a great-granddaughter, Kiley Jones.

Condolences may be left at www.Hindtfuneralhomes.com      

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