Duane “Whitey” Wanders, 80, of Barnes City, passed away Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, at Mahaska Health Partnership Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa. Funeral services will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, at Holland-Coble Funeral Home in Montezuma. Burial will be held in the Barnes City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Barnes City Fire Department.
Duane Lee Wanders, the son of James and Margaret (Klein) Wanders, was born Feb. 6, 1940, in New Sharon. He attended Success Country School near New Sharon before graduating from New Sharon High School in 1957. Following high school, Whitey worked for Taintor Co-op before he was married. May 19, 1961, Duane was united in marriage to Evelyn Rice at Barnes City United Methodist Church. To this union, three children were born: Teresa, Kenny, and Debbie. After they were married, they moved to Evelyn’s parents’ farm near Barnes City, and they began to farm. Following the death of Evelyn’s father in 1968, Duane and Evelyn purchased the farm and continued to farm. In 1989, Whitey began working for Sully Farm Supply and continued farming part-time, retiring in 2015 at the age of 75. Whitey enjoyed staying busy and working. He was a hard worker and enjoyed visiting with people and going to farm sales. Some say he attended the sales just to visit with people. Whitey also enjoyed his annual trips to the Iowa State Fair. He will always be remembered as a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather, and he liked to keep up with his grandchildren on what they were up to. Whitey served on the Barnes City Co-op Board and was a member of the Barnes City Fire Department.
Duane’s legacy will be honored by his children: Teresa (Craig) Fawcett of Oskaloosa, Kenny (Marcy) Wanders of New Sharon, and Debbie (Jerry) Bullington of Runnells; nine grandchildren: Tyler (Jill) German of Lynnville, Alan (Crystal) Fawcett of Oskaloosa, Laura (Corey) Van Kooten of Sully, Lindsey (Matt) Rotert of Bondurant, Chelsea Bullington of Runnells, Chet (Kenzie) Bullington of Altoona, Tanner Wanders of Oklahoma City, Trent Wanders of Des Moines, and Bailey Wanders of New Sharon; 11 great-grandchildren; three siblings: Loretta Wehrle of Taintor, Leroy (Millie) Wanders of Oskaloosa, and Dorothy (Norman) Ver Ploeg of Leighton; and many other relatives and friends.
Duane was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Evelyn in 2015; a granddaughter Tanya German; a sister and brother-in-law Marjorie (Gerald) Van Houweling; and a brother-in-law Norman Wehrle.
