' NEW HAMPTON - Dr. W.E. "Doc" Tunnell, 85, New Hampton, died Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2002 in Mesa, AZ of natural causes.

Funeral Services will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 26 at United Methodist Church, New Hampton with Reverend Catherine Luck officiating. Gerald Bailey will be the organist and will accompany the vocalists, Peter and Phyllis Willadsen.

Burial will be in New , Hampton Cemetery with Military Graveside Rites provided by the New Hampton American Legion. Casket bearers will be Kevin Hassman, Riley Uglum, Dan Hartson, John Roth, Mike Roberts and Gary Roberts. Honorary casket bearers will be A1 Colbert, A1 Riley, Albert Denner, Duane Leichtman, Adrian Freidhof, Delbert May and George Manson.

Visitation was 3-8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25 at Conway-Kolbet Funeral Home, New Hampton and will be an hour prior to services at the church.

Winfred Eugene Tunnell was born Sept. 5, 1916 in Valley Junction, the son of Clarence James and Elsie Grace (Weis-ler) Tunnell. He was a 1934 graduate of Valley High School, West Des Moines and attended the American Institute of Business. He graduated from Northern Illinois College of Optometry, Chicago in 1939. He moved to New Hampton in 1939 after purchasing Dr. A.J. Pierson's optometry practice. He married Mabel Hartson on Dec. 21,1951 at The Little Brown Church, Nashua.

He served in the U.S. Army in Texas and England from 1942-1945. He resumed his practice after returning home, retiring in 1989. After retirement the couple enjoyed traveling and spending their winters in Mesa, AZ. He also enjoyed golfing and spending time with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was a 50-year member of the American Optometric Association, Iowa Optometric Association, Rotary Club in which he was a Paul Harris Fellow, Arcana Masonic Lodge and Order of the Eastern Star. He was also a member of the New Hampton American Legion, Shriners, Knights of Pythias, First United Methodist Church, the New Hampton Golf and Country Club, New Hampton Chamber of Commerce and served as a councilman at large for six years.

Survivors include his wife, Mabel; a daughter, Lois (Gary) Roberts, Decorah; one grandson; one granddaughter; one great-granddaughter and two great-grandsons.

Preceding him in death were his parents.

Source: New Hampton Tribune; Feb. 26, 2002 Page 4
from Elma library collection assembled by Marian (Marr) McGee
Transcribed by ABBYY FineReader® 12, Adapted to the Web by Bill Waters