Katherine M. Wunschel, age 84, of Sac City, Iowa formerly of Early, passed away on Friday, February 10, 2006, at Loring Hospital in Sac City.

Funeral services will be held for Katherine on Monday, February 13th, 2:00 p.m., at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sac City with Rev. Mark Thompson officiating.  Burial will be at the Early Union Cemetery under the direction of the Farber & Otteman Funeral Home. 

Visitation is from 4:00-8:00 p.m., Sunday, February 12th, at the Farber & Otteman Funeral Home in Sac City.

May Welch was born on July 10, 1921, in Clinton, Iowa, to Frank and Elma (Heilig) Welch.  Her mother died after the birth of her youngest brother, Lyman, and she was placed in the Iowa Soldiers’ Orphans Home in Davenport, Iowa.  On August 29, 1927, she was adopted by Lloyd and Mary Larson and was given the name of Katherine May Larson. She was baptized on July 17, 1932, at Galbraith Methodist Episcopal Church near Sac City and confirmed in the Missouri Lutheran faith.  She lived with her parents on their farm north of Sac City and attended Douglas #6 Country School through eighth grade.  She graduated from Sac City High School in 1940.  During her high school years she was named Sac County Health Champion. 

On September 25, 1940, Katherine was married to Gail C. Wunschel in Carroll, Iowa.  They lived on a farm 4 miles south of Early.  In 1951 they moved to their farm south of Nemaha and lived there until the early spring of 1966.  They built a home in Early and made their home there and in Mesa, Arizona. 

On August 16, 1989, her husband, Gail, passed away and she returned to Early but spent the winters in Mesa.  In 1998 she moved to Oak Terrace in Sac City.   In December of 1999, due to failing health, she moved to Black Hawk Life Care Center in Lake View, Iowa where she resided.  Katherine was a member of the Faith Lutheran Church in Early amd transferred her membership to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Sac City when she moved to Oak Terrace.

Katherine was a housewife and had good nursing skills caring for both her parents and her husband in their late years.  She enjoyed gardening on the farm, later playing golf, Bingo, and camping. 

She is survived by her children; daughters, Mary Ellen Hatch and her husband Don of Sac City, Iowa and Sandra Reiss and her husband Gordon of Rockwell City, Iowa, and her son, James Gail Wunschel and his wife Jean of Ogallala, Nebraska.  Other survivors include her 12 grandchildren: Kevin (Beth) Hatch, Kandi (Daniel) Millard, Karmel (Tom) Sueppel, Klint (Kristie) Hatch, Stephanie (Joe) Kucera, Chris (Denise) Wunschel, John (Lynn) Wunschel, Travis Wunschel, Kelly Wunschel, McLain Wunschel, Aaron (Faith) Reiss and Adam (Bethany) Reiss; 27 great-grandchildren; her two brothers-in-law: Russell (Lois) Wunschel and Ed Clutter; and sister-in-law, Virginia Wunschel.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Gail; grandson, Tyler Wunschel; three sisters: Irene Weatherly, Thelma Flynn, and Leona Baish; two brothers: Fred Welch and Lyman Welch; and one adopted sister, Avis Larson.