Katharine Scheevel, age 75, of Story City, Iowa, and formerly of Nevada, Iowa, died Tuesday, July 15, 2014, at Bethany Manor in Story City.
Memorial services were held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, July 19, 2014, at Ryan Funeral Home in Nevada, with Chaplain Sandy Anenson officiating. The family greeted friends at the funeral home on Friday from 5-7 p.m.
Kathy was born on September 27, 1938, in Rockford, Iowa, to Bennie and Inga (Paulsen) O'Rourke. She grew up on the farm near Rockford until her junior year when her family moved to Spring Valley, MN. She graduated from Spring Valley High School in 1957. She was a member of the National Honor Society and loved playing in the band. Kathy married Donovan Scheevel on February 15, 1958, at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Spring Valley, Minnesota. Kathy served on the Colo City Counsel and was a member of Colo United Methodist Church where she and Don served as leaders for the youth group. She retired from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory of the USDA in Ames after 30 years. During her tenure there she was granted a patent for Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for Erysipelothrix Rhusiopathiae. Kathy and Don loved traveling after they retired. She spent her free time painting, reading, and playing pranks on family and friends. Survivors include her husband, Donovan; three daughters, Donnette (Christopher) Williams of Ames, Linda (Kevin) Torgeson of Radcliffe, and Janice (Charles Jr.) Hamons of Chattanooga, TN; three grandchildren, Lisa (Kevin) Brown, and Katelynn and Ryan Hamons; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Bennie and Inga (Paulsen) O'Rourke; and three brothers, Bernard, James, and Edmund "Butch" O'Rourke.
Ryan Funeral Home of Nevada was entrusted with the care of Katharine and her family. Memorials in Kathy's name may be directed to the Alzheimer's Association.