Fern Hegel, age 89, of Lake Mills, Iowa, died Sunday, Sept. 17, 2006, at the Lake Mills Care

Center in Lake Mills, Iowa. Funeral services will be 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, at

Salem Lutheran Church in Lake Mills with the Rev. W. Paul Weeg officiating. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday evening at Mittelstadt Funeral Home and again one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will take place at Salem Memorial Cemetery in Lake Mills, Iowa.

Lavona Fern Hegel was born on Dec. 3, 1916, the daughter of James Elmer and Regina (Sponem) Twito in Lake Mills, Iowa. She was a lifetime member of

Salem Lutheran Church and lived her entire life in Lake Mills where she graduated from Lake Mills Community School. She was united in marriage to Edward Emil Hegel on Jan. 31, 1937, in Forest City, Iowa. To this union five children were born, Patricia, Ronald, Carol, Jean and Larry. Fern was a wonderful homemaker and cook who was devoted to her family and took great pride in all of the quilts she made for special people (children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews) in her life as well as the people of Appalachia.

She worked as a domestic helper for many families and baby-sat many children in the community. Fern loved to listen to KATE Radio&8217;s Party Line show and couldn&8217;t wait to try out all the new recipes she heard. Whenever you stopped by to visit her she would have a notepad next to the radio with the jokes she had heard or read to share with you, she loved to be known for her humor and as being one of &8220;the Twito sisters&8221;. She belonged to the American Legion Auxiliary and to Knitting Club for over thirty five years and enjoyed the many friendships she made through it.

She is survived by her children, Patricia (Bruce) Secrest of Plano, Texas; Ronald (CeCe) Hegel of Duluth, Minn.; Carol (John) Lang of Albert Lea; Jean (Jack) Rembold of Estherville, Iowa; and Larry (Dorothy) Hegel of Lake Mills, Iowa; grandchildren, Michelle (Marlyn) Risius, Laura Secrest, Alison (Dallas) Wynne, Matthew (Tricia) Rembold, Mitchell Rembold, Jessica Rembold, Angela (Brian) Becker, Jennifer Hegel, Andrea (Timothy) Harves, and John Hegel; step-grandchildren, Robert (Kristie) and Scott (Marie) Schwartz; great-grandchildren, Carissa Risius, Caroline and Vivian Rembold, Chance, Maxwell and Sydney Becker, Abigail Wynne, Benjamin and Abby Harves, and step-great-grandchildren, Cole, Lydia and Tara (Jeff) Schwartz, Stephan, Sable and Alexis Schwartz; step-great-great grandchild Tyler Spoelstra. She is also survived by her sister Mildred Groves of Forest City, Iowa; one brother Donald (Dominy) Twito of Lake Mills, Iowa; sisters-in-law Geraldine Hegel, Joan Munro and Maxine Fullenwider; brothers-in-law William Lammers, Norman Hegel, and Harold Kjerland; along with many nieces and nephews.

Fern was preceded in death by her husband Edward in 2001; her parents; brothers James, Irving, Royden, Earl and Harold; sisters Bernice, Viola, Myrtle, and Marjorie; and several brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law; nieces and nephews.

Memorials are preferred to Hospice of North Iowa.