Funeral service for Eugene “Butch” Hefty will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, December 6, 2021, at the Zion Lutheran Church in Lu Verne with Pastor Steve Struecker presiding. Burial will be in the Lu Verne Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 3-6 P.M. on Sunday, December 5, 2021, at the Zion Lutheran Church in Lu Verne. Memorials can be made in Butch’s name to Zion Lutheran Church in LuVerne or to the LuVerne Fire Department.
Eugene “Butch” Henry Hefty was born May 29, 1948, to Henry and Viola (Schipull) Hefty in Algona, Iowa. He was baptized on July 4, 1948, and confirmed in 1962 at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Lu Verne. A lifetime member of Zion he served as Congregation Chairman, Council Secretary, Trustee, High School Sunday School Teacher and LYF Counselor. Butch graduated from Lu Verne High School in 1966, and began farming the Baumgartner farm that spring. His first livestock to raise were sheep followed by hogs and to this day still had a cow/calf herd. Besides farming, he worked, educated and serviced many through his business, “Butch’s Drywall”.
He married Virginia Lee Meyers on July 1, 1967 and had two children, Douglas Henry and Sherry Christine. Butch’s life revolved around Faith, Family, Friends, Farming and Fishing. He loved following the children’s and grandchildren’s sports in school, having participated himself in baseball, basketball, track and later town leagues as a pitcher and shortstop of Fastpitch softball. There are many memories and stories to tell of numerous fishing trips, card games, ISU Cyclone games with friends and family and often with a Coke in his hand.
Butch passed away on Thursday, December 2, 2021, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, after a long battle of illness. He was 73.
He is survived by his wife, Virginia; son, Doug and wife Lora (Lorenzen) Hefty of Traer, Iowa; daughter, Sherry and husband, John Ricke of Fonda, Iowa; grandchildren, Lucas Hefty (fiancé, Autumn Alitz) Nolan Hefty, Caleb Ricke, Elizabeth Ricke and Joseph Ricke. He is also survived by three sisters, Connie and Rick Hopper of Wallingford; Laurie and Scott Olson of Parker, Colorado and Becky and Tom O’Malley of Downers Grove, Illinois; brothers-in-law, Gary Meyers of Humboldt; Larry (Terri) Meyers of Renwick; sisters-in-law, Rachel (Kim) Oelkers of Johnson Lake, Nebraska; Cheryl (Duane) Janssen of Rockwell City; and many nieces and nephews. Also surviving Butch is Ryan (Megan) Wempen who kept him going with the farming and livestock.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Viola Hefty; in-laws, Clarence and Margaret Meyers and grandparents, Henry and Mildred Hefty and William and Louise Schipull.
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