Thomas Nicholas Gebel, 87
Thomas Nicholas Gebel, age 87, of New Hampton, IA passed away peacefully at his home the morning of Thursday, Feb. 10 under the care of his loving wife, Marian (Wacha) Gebel, his daughter Terri Allen, and St. Croix Hospice.
Born on Oct. 26, 1934 in New Hampton, Thomas “Tom” Nicholas Gebel was the son of Louis and Marie (Kolbet) Gebel. One of five children, Tom was raised on a farm near Alta Vista with his three brothers, Jim, Don and Dan, and his sister, Barb. He graduated in 1952 from St. William’s High School in Alta Vista. After attending Loras College for a period of time, Tom worked at Borden’s Ice Cream in Cedar Rapids for two years before returning home to help on the farm after the death of his father.
On June 29, 1957, Tom Nicholas Gebel was united in marriage to Marian Johanna Wacha at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Lourdes, IA. The “Home of the Seven Gebels,” Tom and Marian raised their five children, Deb, Tim, Terri, Mike and Andy, in New Hampton. During this time, Tom worked for Elma Locker, Liddles supermarket, Jack and Jill supermarket, and Sara Lee. While working for Sara Lee, he also served in a part-time position reading meters for the City of New Hampton and, upon his eventual retirement from Sara Lee, he began part-time delivery for the local flower shop Pocketful of Posies. These part-time positions were perfect for Tom, as he could always socialize with any stranger and enjoyed the opportunity to brighten people’s days with flowers.
Tom was a Knights of Columbus member since 1955 and an active member of St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s parishes, where he attended mass regularly. He was a frequent golfer—once achieving a hole-in-one—and card player, with his favorite card game being euchre. Other interests of his included fishing, gardening, hunting, traveling with Marian and friends on bus trips, and puttering around in the yard—where he’d survey his raspberry bushes and his bird feeders. Tom kept the neighborhood bird varieties well fed and had an impressive ability to recognize each species.
Thanks to his two favorite hobbies, jam making and jigsaw puzzling, visitors frequently left Tom’s company with a fresh jar of raspberry jam or a beautifully framed jigsaw puzzle he had just completed. He also found joy in watching sports with Marian, talking about his baseball card collection, trying his luck at a casino, visiting Dubuque, IA, and just spending time with his numerous loving family members and friends.
Living family members include his wife of 64 years, Marian (Wacha) Gebel of New Hampton; five children, Deb (Steve) Winter of Bettendorf; Tim (Denise) Gebel of Sherrard; Terri (J.J.) Allen of Ames; Mike (Rhonda) Gebel of Eldridge; and Andrew (Kelley) Gebel of Davis Junction; 13 grandchildren, Matthew, Danielle and Jessica Winter; Kara (Gebel) Padilla, Tyler Gebel, Anne and Rachel Winston; Jason, Nathan and Christopher Allen; and Jonathan, Lillie and Kelvin Gebel; two great-granddaughters, Vera Winter and Palmer Allen; a sister, Barb (Jerry) O’Donnell of Cresco; a brother, Dan (Dorothy) Gebel of Clear Lake; three sisters-in-law, Marcy Gebel of Mason City; Marge Haugen of Clear Lake; and Elaine (Mike) Farrington of Elma; and numerous nieces, nephews and loving family members of the Gebel and Wacha Families.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Marie (Kolbet) Gebel; his in-laws, Mildred and William Wacha; two brothers, Jim and Don Gebel; two brothers-in-law, Clarence Haugen and Merle Wacha; one sister-in-law, Colleen Gebel; and a niece, Suzanne Gebel.
In honor of Tom and in keeping with the family’s wishes, memorials may be directed to St. Croix Hospice or to the Knights of Columbus Council 1697. To share online condolences, please visit Tom Gebel’s obituary at www.conway-markhamfh.com.
A visitation will be held from 4–7:00 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 18, 2022 at Conway-Markham Funeral Home in New Hampton with a 3:30 p.m. Rosary and a 7 p.m. Scriptural Wake Service.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022 at Holy Family Parish in New Hampton, with a continued visitation one hour prior to the funeral mass. The mass will be celebrated by Father Brian Dellaert. For those unable to attend the funeral, you are able to join the family via Facebook Live through Conway-Markham Funeral Home's Facebook page. Burial will be held at St. Mary's Cemetery at a later date.
