Gael A. Ebert

Gael A. “Bud” Ebert of Knoxville, passed away at 1 p.m. April 29, 2018, at the Comfort House in Pella, surrounded by his family.

Bud was born Sept. 29, 1933, in Marshalltown, to Amelia F. (Hasselbrink) and G. A. Ebert. He grew up on a farm north of Kellogg, and graduated from Kellogg High School in 1952. He attended Central College of Pella, and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953. He was a member of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and President Eisenhower’s Honor Guard. He married Janet Breckenridge Dec. 21, 1954, in Kellogg. They were blessed with three children, Denise, Randy and Rusty. They lived in Laurel, Md., and moved to Kellogg, after he was honorably discharged in 1955.

Bud was employed by the USDA working for the ASCS grain storage division in Jasper County, and then was a tool and die maker for Midwest Metal Stamp Company of Kellogg. In 1966, he became a rural letter mail carrier with the United States Postal Service in Kellogg. In 1973, he transferred to Knoxville. He retired from the USPS in 1996 after a 30-year career.

Bud was a boy scout leader, a member of the Kellogg Fire and Rescue and coached Little League and Babe Ruth teams in Kellogg and Knoxville. He was a follower of Jesus Christ and a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Knoxville, where he served as an elder and sang in the choir. Bud was also a lifelong member of the Knoxville Lions Club, where he served as the past president. Bud enjoyed attending the sprint car races at the Knoxville Raceway and started and operated a booth for 40 years, raising money for the Knoxville Lions Club. He was selected Knoxville Raceway Fan of the Year. He was also a 50-year member of the Rural Letter Carriers Association. Bud enjoyed cheering for the Iowa State Cyclones and Chicago Cubs.

He was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Joyce Parsons and Chris Lehfeld; two sisters-in-law, Janice Stewart and Kathryn Breckenridge; four brothers-in-law, Charles Lehfeld, Russ Parsons, Roger Stewart and Mark VanderPloeg; and a great-great-nephew, Inde Elgersma. Remaining to cherish his memory are his wife, Janet of Knoxville; his daughter, Denise (Randy) Emal of Knoxville; Randy (Sheryl) Ebert of Des Moines and Rusty (Melody) Ebert of Keosauqua; two granddaughters, Dr. LeeAnn (Josh) Huff and Leslie (Cody) Mecham; four great-grandchildren, Hank Huff, Clay Mecham, Duke Huff and Jolee Huff; two sisters, Carmen (Bill) Gill of Kellogg and Carol VanderPloeg of Pella; brother-in-law, Darl Breckinridge; and nieces and nephews.

Visitation will begin at 3 p.m. Thursday, May 3 at Trinity Lutheran Church, with family present from 6 to 8 p.m. A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 4 at Trinity Lutheran Church. Burial with military rites will be at 1:30 p.m. at Our Silent City Cemetery in Kellogg. Immediately following burial, a coffee time will take place at the Amboy Grange in Kellogg. Online condolences can be sent to winfieldfh.com.