Doris Bertelsen

Doris Bertelsen, 84, of Charles City, passed away Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at the Floyd County Medical Center in Charles City.

A funeral service for Doris Bertelsen will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 17, 2020 at Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home in Charles City with Erik Hoefer officiating. The family of Doris extends an invitation to anyone who would like to attend her visitation or funeral, but there will be limited seating. Those in attendance will be asked to follow social distancing guidelines, thank you for your understanding. The service will be live streamed on the Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home Facebook page at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Burial will be at Riverside Cemetery in Charles City.

Visitation will be at the funeral home from 9:30 a.m. until the start of the service on Wednesday.

Doris Lucille (Ferch) Bertelsen was born Feb. 5, 1936 in a rural home in Powersville, Iowa, the daughter of John and Mabel (Smith) Ferch. She attended rural county schools and graduated from the Charles City High School in 1955. Doris’s mother Mabel passed away when she was a young child. Over the course of the years she was raised by many Aunts, Uncles and Siblings along with her father. She had a very special bond with her Aunt Dorothy Dowd and her brothers and sisters because of this (especially her sister Lorraine Eckenrod and brother Jerry Ferch).

After graduating in 1955 Doris began to work for the Bell Telephone Company in Charles City. While working there she met a handsome young electrician from Des Moines, (LeRoy) Dean Bertelsen. He was working at the phone company when she told him it was her birthday and he should take her out to supper. He did, and the relationship grew from there. On May 29, 1960 they were united in marriage at the Lutheran Church in Charles City. They made their home in Des Moines, Iowa where Doris continued to work for the phone company until the birth of their three children. In 1968 they moved to Floyd, Iowa and then to Charles City in 1974. Over the course of the years Doris held many different jobs retiring from the Floyd County museum in 2007. Dean passed away on Nov. 28, 2007 and left a void in her life and heart.

Doris kept herself busy by working, raising kids and helping to care for her Aunt Dorothy. Her hobbies included shopping, family get togethers, traveling and watching her grandson Michael play sports. She enjoyed trips to Texas to see her father, John, and to Chicago to see her brother, Jerry. These trips always included her family never passing a place to have a piece of pie or shop along the way. She also held a special place in her heart for all of her pets over the years.

Doris will be deeply missed by her family, Daughters: Lori (Tim) Clark, Teresa Bertelsen and Kathy (Gene) Pettit all of Charles City; Grandson, Michael Clark (Omaha, Nebraska); Step-Granddaughter, Ashley Pettit (Wellington, Colorado); Sister, Lorraine Eckenrod (Charles City); Brother, Jerry (Sandy) Ferch (Downers Grove, Illinois). She had a special place in her heart for and will be missed by many nieces, nephews and extended family and friends.

She is preceded in death by her Husband, Dean; Mother, Mabel; Father, John; Brothers: Roger, Donald and Paul Ferch; Sister, Betty Caster; Brothers-in-Law: Richard Eckenrod and Glen Caster; Sister-in-Law, Dorothy Ferch; Special Aunts: Dorothy Dowd and Bertha Smith; along with several extended family members.

Hauser Weishaar Funeral Home, (641) 228-2323, 1205 South Main Street, Charles City, Iowa 50616 is in charge of local arrangements. Online condolences may be left on the Tribute Wall for the family at www.hauserfh.com.