Leila Herr

A funeral service for Leila Herr will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2014,at Pence-Reese Funeral Home in Newton. A visitation with the family will be from 10 to 11 a.m. Wednesday. Burial will be at Brethern Cemetery in Dallas Center, Iowa, at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Memorials have been designated to Community Heights Alliance Church or Newton Village Building Fund.

Leila Ruth Herr, 95, the daughter of Thomas P. and Hannah G. (Sandven) Swasand, was born the youngest of eight children on Aug. 23, 1918, in Vincent, Iowa. Leila was graduated from Eldora High School, attended Grinnell College and Capital City Commercial College (4 C’s) in Des Moines. On May 13, 1939, in Eldora, Iowa, Leila was united in marriage to Roger I. Herr. She and her husband lived and raised their children at Dallas Center, Iowa, before retiring and moving to Bella Vista, Ariz., where they lived for 20 years before moving to Newton a few years ago.

Leila worked for Look Magazine, Des Moines Register and Tribune, helped on the family farm at Dallas Center and as secretary in her husband’s insurance office.

Leila was a devoted mother and housewife whose greatest joys came from being with family. She was active in her churches, taking part in many different ministries. She was a member of Bella Vista Christian Church and had attended Community Heights Alliance Church in Newton.

Leila died Friday morning, Jan. 24, 2014, at Skiff Medical Center in Newton. She was preceded in death by her husband, Roger, on May 15, 2013; her parents; four brothers Arthur Swasand, Theodore Swasand, Edward Swasand and Delmar Swasand; and three sisters, Bess Swasand Peterson, Pearle Swasand Stone and Edith Swasand Turner.

Those left to honor the memory of Leila include her children, Sam Herr of Dallas Center, Marvin (Joan) Herr of Mt. Gretna, Pa., and Nedra Herr of Newton; seven grandchildren; seven great grand-children; and many nieces and nephews.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.pencefh.com.