March 29, 2024

Loretta M. Wendt

April 28, 2015

Loretta M. Wendt, a resident of Newton since 1948, died April 28, 2015, at Park Centre. She was 100 years old. A funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 7 at Newton’s First Presbyterian Church with the Rev. Meghan Davis officiating. The family will greet friends at a lunch at the church following the service.

Loretta was born in the rural area of Avoca, the daughter of Christopher and Mary Miller. She attended rural schools and graduated from Avoca High School in 1932. She also graduated from Drake University in 1936, with a major in journalism. Before her marriage, she was a social worker at several locations in Iowa.

On May 15, 1943, Loretta married Wendell Wendt at Camp Crowder, Neosho, Mo. After World War II, the Wendts lived in Des Moines, and their first child Marti was born. In 1948, the Wendts moved to Newton, and a second daughter Catherine was born. Other family members are grandson, David Wackerlin, wife Sarah Kolbuc and great-grandchildren Campbell and Eden of Milton, Ontario, Canada, and grandson Hollis Linschoten of Vancouver, Canada.

Loretta and Wendell have been members of Newton’s First Presbyterian Church since 1948, where Loretta served as an elder, a deacon, president of the women’s association and a Sunday school teacher.

Newton’s first woman mayor, Myrt Levin, appointed Loretta as the first female member of Newton’s Planning and Zoning Board in 1974. Loretta served with that body for 22 years and sometimes worked at the zoning board office. She was a member of the League of Women Voters for more than 60 years and was a longtime member of TTT.

In 1960, the Wendts moved to a larger home at 914 S. Seventh Ave. W. There Loretta expanded her love of flowers by doubling the area of the family lot that was devoted to plants.

After 1980, when Wendell retired from the Newton Daily News, the Wendts increased their traveling time with vacations spent in Europe, Florida, Texas and Arizona. Loretta continued her travels with many trips to Canada and Chicago, where family members had moved.

In 1997, when Park Centre built an addition with 27 new apartments, the Wendts decided to give up their home and move. They packed many boxes of their things, had a sale and moved in early August.

Loretta and Wendell celebrated their 100th birthdays with an open house at Park Centre Feb. 14, 2015, with 222 persons signing the guest book that day with several coming from as far away as Denver and Canada.