Vera Fowler

Hastings resident Vera E. Fowler, 88, died Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, at her home at Good Samaritan Village.

Services are 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Clay Center Christian Church with the Rev. John Green officiating. Burial will be in Fairfield Cemetery. Visitation will be 1-9 p.m. today with family present from 5-7 p.m., and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Hastings, as well as one hour prior to services at the church. Memorials may be given to the Vera E. Fowler Memorial Fund.

Vera Ethel Fowler was born March 19, 1920, to Earl and Anna (Denney) Warboys on a farm east of Deweese. She was one of nine children in the family. Two of her siblings died when they were young. She was baptized in the Deweese Christian Church. Her father died when she was 5., and her mother when she was 12. After their deaths, she, her two sisters and four brothers lived together on the farm. Later, they moved to live with their grandfather, William Henry Warboys, after the two oldest siblings left the farm. She graduated from Deweese High School in 1937. On Jan. 5, 1938, she married Lloyd William Bickel. Their son, Dale Lloyd Bickel, was born Dec. 15, 1938. Lloyd died Sept. 22, 1939, at age 22. He and two other men were electrocuted when a pipe they were working on to drill a well touched a power line. On Oct. 17, 1941, she married Merle Marian Fowler, whose brother, Glen, was one of the men killed with her first husband. Their son, Roger Glen Fowler, was born Aug. 20, 1943. The couple lived in Edgar, Glenvil, Hutchinson, Kan., Harvard, Clay Center and Hastings. Her husband served overseas from 1944-46 during World War II. After the war, he worked most of his life for Dahlsten Truck Line. In their spare time, they enjoyed fishing, camping and taking care of their lawn. After retiring, they lived at Good Samaritan Village. Merle died June 28, 1998, in Hastings.

She also was preceded in death by six brothers, Ivan, Arza, Cecil, Arthur, Lyal and Elvin Warboys, and two sisters, Inez Shaw and Iona Werner, and a daughter-in-law, Mary Kay (Hauff) Bickel.

Survivors are two sons, Roger Fowler and wife, Lois, of Glenvil, and Dale Bickel of Fort Collins, Colo.; seven grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.