James Edward Ziegenbusch

Funeral services for James Ziegenbusch, age 91, of Spirit Lake will be 1 pm Wednesday, August 6, 2014, at First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Visitation will begin at 12:30 Wednesday until service time at the church. Interment will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee, Iowa at 4:15 pm Wednesday. James E. Ziegenbusch was born June 14, 1923 in Cherokee, Iowa, the son of Ivan and Hazel E. (Goodman) Ziegenbusch. He was raised and educated in Cherokee, graduating from Washington High School in 1941. Jim attended Wartburg College until getting drafted into the US Army in 1943. He was assigned to the 86th Infantry based out of Ft. Knox, Kentucky, serving in the European Theater for forty months. Upon VE Day, he was redeployed to the Philippine Islands, where he remained until the war was over. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, Jim returned to Cherokee and was united in marriage to Shirley Dawson at Memorial Presbyterian Church in Cherokee. The couple was blessed with two children, Joani and John. Jim was employed by Iowa Electric Light & Power Co. in Cherokee, Storm Lake and Marshalltown for thirty-seven years, retiring as Regional Superintendent of Gas Operations in 1984. Jim was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Spirit Lake. Previously, he was an active member in Presbyterian Churches in both Cherokee and Marshalltown. He served as both a deacon and elder, and was in charge of two building projects, one in Cherokee and one in Marshalltown. Jim was a sixty-eight year member of the Masonic Lodge and a sixty-two year member of the Order of the Eastern Star, having been patron on two occasions. Additionally, Jim was a member of the Engineer's Club, Rotary International and was on the Board of Visiting Nurses for many years. Jim passed away Thursday, July 31, 2014 at Hilltop Care Center in Spirit Lake at ninety-one years of age. He is survived by his son, John (Sue) Ziegenbusch of Spirit Lake; grandchildren, Amy (Larry, Jr.) Webber of Spirit Lake, Betsy (Andrew) Mudd of Seattle, WA and Justin Bohm of Sioux Falls, SD; great-grandchildren, Katherine, Hayden and Laurel Webber; and son-in-law, Robert Bohm of Sioux Falls, SD. Jim was preceded in death by his wife Shirley Ziegenbusch, parents Ivan and Hazel Ziegenbusch, brother John Ivan Ziegenbusch and his daughter Joani Ziegenbusch Bohm.