Lily E. (Wenzel) Dippel, 86, of Belmond, IA, most recently a resident of the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond, died, February 1, 2023, at the Rehabilitation Center of Belmond.
Public funeral services will be held Saturday, February 11, 2023, at 10:30 AM, at Trinity Lutheran Church, 304 3rd Ave. N.E., Belmond. The Rev. Katie Pals will be officiating. Burial will be in the Belmond Cemetery.
Public visitation will be Friday at the church from 5-7 PM and will continue Saturday at church from 9:30-10:30 AM. Those wishing to express their sympathies through a memorial in Lily’s name may direct them to her family or the donor’s choice.
Funeral service will be live streamed on the Andrews Funeral Homes Facebook page at 10:30 AM Saturday. Just LIKE the page to view.
Lily Elizabeth Wenzel, the daughter of Fred and Grace (Dirksen) Wenzel was born July 25, 1936, on her parents’ farm in rural Alexander, IA. She attended a one room school in Alexander and graduated from Alexander in 1955. Lily was baptized in her childhood at the First Reformed Church in Alexander.
The value of love for family and a strong work ethic was instilled in Lily’s character at a young age during her years helping with a wide variety of tasks and chores around the farm. Her love and caring ways carried on throughout all her life journey.
Lily was united in marriage to Vernon Dean Dippel on January 8, 1956, at Ft. Riley, Kansas, during his military tenure in the United States Army from 1953-56. Following their marriage, the couple lived on the military base.
Upon being honorably discharged from the service the couple moved to Belmond. Their union was blessed with five boys: Dean, Dennis, Daryl, Dan, Dylan, and two girls, Dawn and Dixie.
Lily and Vernon’s marriage was not permanent.
She had a wide variety of occupations throughout her life. In earlier years she managed “The Red Little Barn and worked for the Ben Franklin Store in Belmond. Lily had also spent periods of time employed as a cook at Belmond Hospital, the Laundry and Linen Department at Belmond Health Care Center, cleaning houses for people in the Belmond area, as custodian at Trinity Lutheran Church, and eventually for Congregate and Meals on Wheels before retirement. Her foremost focus and love were in raising her children and providing them with a nurturing and loving home. Her kids were the center of her universe.
Lily was an Avon Representative for many years and helped out with her daughters’ Campfire group teaching a variety of life skills.
Family was of utmost importance in Lily’s life. Her family reflects fondly on an occasional family fishing trip to Williams Narrow in Minnesota and a few treks to South Dakota to visit Dean during his time living there. They recall Sunday afternoon’s commencing from the boat launch at Macintosh Woods in Clear Lake for a few hours relaxing on the water as a family. They reflected upon loading up the family station wagon for a destination unknown. Sunday mornings were often times spent at Sunday School and church at St. John Lutheran Church, Belmond.
She enjoyed Wenzel family reunions and a few reunions on Vernon’s (Adams Family) get togethers. She was known by the area trick or treaters for her delicious homemade popcorn balls that kids would often times line up for on Halloween. She was a wonderful cook and loved to bake. Her family and friends looked forward to her mouthwatering Angel Food cakes covered in fresh strawberries, her “Poke Cake” and many, many other one-of-a-kind culinary delights. Lily was an Iowa Hawkeyes fan and enjoyed listening to Paul Harvey and WHO radio. Her generosity and compassion for others was most of the time greater than her means. Her boundless love was often shown in quiet and non-assuming ways, such as her annual Pre-Memorial Day journeys to the cemetery to not only decorate the graves of her family, but those of many others all the while tidying up and looking after the graves and stones of others.
Lily became a resident of the Belmond Community Apartments in 2011 and lived there until 2017, when health issues forced her to move to the Rehabilitation Center where she had lived since. Early on she looked forward to and enjoyed the many activities of the care center and spending time with family and friends. Her continued health battles did not allow her to enjoy these activities and events. Though she became more impaired Lily still kept that beautiful smile and the twinkles in her eyes. She still looked forward to visits from family and friends and an occasional outing for a car ride with her kids. Lily was a “true survivor”. She survived the Belmond tornado, the challenges of raising her children, and the heart breaking losses of three sons, along with persevering time and time again health wise. Those who had the privilege of crossing in Lily’s life footsteps will remember her as a lady who cherished the role of a mother, grandma, sister and friend, who was selfless, caring, devoted, dedicated to putting the needs and wants of everyone else before her own needs, and expecting nothing in return.
Those left to cherish her memory include her children: Dawn (Scott Rath) Dippel, North Liberty, IA, Daryl (Pacita Philips) Dippel, Ankeny, IA, Dixie (Tim) Daniels, Belmond, IA, Dan Dippel, Belmond, IA, 12 grandchildren and 9 great grandsons; her deceased brother George’s wife Mildred Wenzel, Belmond, IA; her siblings: Jim (Joyce) Wenzel, Alexander, IA, Robert (Carolyn) Wenzel, Robert (Carolyn) Wenzel, Alexander, IA, Gladys (Chuck) Vancura, Jackson, MN, and Phyllis Ash, Grundy Center, IA; along with many nieces, nephews and other extended family and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her former husband Vernon Dec. 2000, sons Dylan-1991, Dean-2011, and Dennis-2021, brother and sister-in-law Fred (MaeFerne) Wenzel, a sister and brother-in-law Kathryn (Eldred) Tabbert, a sister and brother-in-law Mary (Tony) Servantez, a brother George Wenzel, and brother-in-law Donovan Ash.
Andrews Funeral Homes, Belmond, IA. www.
