Lawrence Collum

Lawrence F. Collum, 73, of 813 E. 14th St. N. in Newton died on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, at the Careage Center in Newton.

A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with Rev. Mr. Steven Witt, deacon of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Grinnell, officiating. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell.

Friends may call at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell beginning at noon on Friday and the Collum family will be present at the funeral home from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

Memorials may be directed to the Lawrence Collum memorial fund and sent in care of the Smith Funeral Home, P.O. Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.

Online condolences to the family may be sent via www.smithfh.com.

Larry was born on Feb. 11, 1936, in Grinnell, Iowa, to John Edward and Sophia Lohman Collum. He was raised in Newburg and Grinnell and attended Grinnell schools. Following his education he worked for various gas stations in Grinnell.

He was married to Anna Mae Heishman and to this marriage was born six children. The family lived in Grinnell and he worked as a mold setter for the Maytag Company. He retired from Maytag in 1988. The couple divorced and he was married to Betty Shea on Nov. 20, 1981 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. The couple lived in Newton.

Larry was a member of the Moose Lodge in Newton and the United Auto Workers Union #997. He enjoyed NASCAR, fishing, painting, hunting, building model cars and listening to polka music. He also enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren and socializing with friends at the Midtown and Maid Rite restaurants in Newton.

Survivors include his wife, Betty Collum of Newton; two sons, Randy and Mike Collum, both of Grinnell; two daughters, Cindy Cleary and Connie Lacy, both of Grinnell; three step-sons, Sam Shea of Cedar Falls, and Dan and Tim Shea, both of Newton; several grandchildren; one sister, Patricia Kester of Grinnell; and one brother, Ambrose Collum of Grinnell.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Denny Collum; one daughter, Chris Brown; and two brothers, Bruce and John “Jack” Collum.