Geneva Becker

Geneva Mae Becker was born May 27, 1925 in Wall Lake, Iowa to Edward and Cecelia (Wollesen) Herrig. She graduated from Wall Lake High School, attended A.I.B. in Des Moines, and worked for the State Department of Welfare in Des Moines prior to her marriage on April 28, 1946 to Donald Becker.

Donald Becker farmed near Wall Lake, so Geneva fulfilled the traditional role of an Iowa farm wife in the 1950s and 1960s by working in her home and in support of her family and farm operation throughout the years. Geneva and Don raised two sons, Bruce (a 1975 ISU graduate with a BA in political science) and Brent (a 1977 ISU graduate with a BS in farm operations).

In addition to the responsibilities of being a farm wife and mother, Geneva dedicated herself to serving God through the Peace Lutheran Church in Wall Lake. She was a member of the Ladies Aid Society, served as Church secretary, taught Sunday school for more than 20 years, and sang in the choir for 50 years. Geneva's abiding faith sustained her through the years, especially during the last year of her life as she battled cancer of the esophagus.

Geneva died March 3, 1992. Geneva Becker will be remembered for her unshakeable faith, the beliefs she instilled in her children, her dedication to hard work, and her love of nature and the land.

Bruce Becker
7/1/96