A private family service for Cleo Bunde, age 81, of Estherville, formerly of Spirit Lake, will be held at a later date.
Cleo J. Bunde was born March 21, 1937 to James and Daisy (Headley) Coleman in Onaka, South Dakota. The family moved to Garden City when she was three years old where she attended Garden City School. After graduation, Cleo attended N.S.C. in Aberdeen, SD where she received her two year teaching certificate. She taught school for several years in various towns including Watertown, South Dakota, rural Altamont and Bryant, South Dakota.
Cleo was married to Eugene Bunde on November 24, 1962 and they had four children. The family moved to Spirit Lake, Iowa and in 1983, they moved to Estherville. Cleo worked at Pure Fishing for forty-one years before retiring in January, 2010. She was a member of the Methodist Church, American Legion Auxiliary and Eastern Star.
Cleo was a hard worker her entire life whether it was on the farm as a young child, in the large garden to feed her family, helping Gene with the truck or in the field or at her "jobs". She enjoyed socializing with her "Berkley" co-workers over tea in the mornings and attended many alumni gatherings, when she was able, to stay connected with her work friends. She loved seeing and visiting with family and friends.
After Cleo moved into Accura Healthcare, she would be frequently found in the "puzzle room" working on jig-saw-puzzles and encouraging other families and residents to join her hobby. Cleo's strong soul left on November 11,, 2018 at Accura Healthcare in Spirit Lake, Iowa.
She is survived by her children, Diane (Steve) Addison, Tim (Jodi) Bunde and Tracey (Damen) Mitchell; two brothers, Dr. Gerald (Shirley) Coleman and Clifford (Nancy) Coleman; two sisters, Carol Buckwald and Delores (Dean) Halajian; grandchildren, Stephen Addison, Ashley (Tyler) Nobriga, Amber Mitchell, Kyler Mitchell, Karinda Kemp, Lydia Bunde and Alicia Addison; great-granddaughters, Austin, Sydney and Hazel Grace; many nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Jim and Daisy Coleman; husband, Eugene; son, Todd Bunde and brother, James Coleman.