Wayne Van Note

Wayne Dale Van Note, 83, of Clinton, Iowa, died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on June 30, 2023, after a long battle with cancer. Wayne was born on July 12, 1939, in Colwell, Iowa to Brazill “Bae” and Louise (Bemer) Van Note. He grew up on a farm near Winthrop, Iowa, with four brothers and two sisters. Wayne graduated from Lamont High School in 1958. Wayne married Vernelda Scherf on December 2, 1961, at St. John Lutheran Church in Farmersburg, Iowa. They had three sons, Michael, John, and Paul. Following high school, Wayne worked as a farmhand and at John Deere in Waterloo. In September 1962, he was drafted into the US Army. Wayne proudly served his country for two years, including an 18-month deployment to Germany. He was honorably discharged in September 1964. Wayne served in the Army Reserves until August 1968. After his military service, Wayne worked for Great Plains Supply in Farmersburg which was the beginning of a 45-year career in the lumberyard business. Thirty of those years he was the lumberyard manager in Morristown, Minnesota; New Hampton, Iowa; Burlington, Iowa; and Alexandria, Minnesota and finished his lumberyard career in sales in Clinton, Iowa and DeWitt, Iowa, and retired in 2010. Wayne was a member of the American Legion. As a veteran, he was proud to be selected to participate in the Honor Flight of the Quad Cities on November 1, 2017. He was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church of Clinton, Iowa, where he served on the Buildings and Grounds Committee for many years. After retirement, Wayne volunteered to help with numerous building and maintenance projects at the church. To know Wayne was to love him. Wayne always put his family first, and enjoyed spending as much time as he could with his sons and their families. His three grandchildren have many fond memories of visiting Grandma and Grandpa’s house that they will hold on to forever. Wayne loved to travel with Vernelda, and they cherished the time they were able to spend together traveling around Europe, visiting Indiana’s Amish Country, and touring twenty-seven of America’s national parks. Wayne thrived in helping others. He was generous with his time and expertise, spending countless hours helping family, friends, and neighbors with home improvement projects. He was always ready to lend a hand and loved to have multiple projects to keep him busy. Wayne was a hardworking, selfless, kind, and wonderful man, and he will be dearly missed by all who knew him. Wayne is survived by his wife, Vernelda Van Note; two sons, John (Shelly) Van Note of Madison, Wisconsin, and Paul (Elithea) Van Note of Moline, Illinois; three grandchildren, Henry Van Note, Oliver Van Note, and Clara Van Note; one brother, Dean Van Note; one sister, Ruth Humes; brothers-in-law, William Scherf II, Lloyd Scherf, and Robert Humes, and sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Van Note, Marvel Van Note, Carol Ortman, and Marlene Glawe; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and friends. Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Brazill Van Note and Louise Van Note; parents-in-law, William Scherf and Viola Scherf; son, Michael Van Note; brothers, George Van Note, Everette Van Note and Lee Van Note; sister, Helen Plein; brothers-in-law, Loren Scherf, Eldean Scherf, Verdine Glawe and Frank Plein; and sisters-in-law, Mildred “Midge” Van Note, Alice Van Note, Lafonda Scherf, JoAnn Scherf and Cheryll Scherf. His family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Aggarwal, Nurse Corinna and all the staff at Mercy One in Clinton and the Genesis Cancer Center in Davenport who provided compassionate care and supported him through his four year battle with cancer. A celebration of Wayne’s life will be held on Friday, July 7, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Zion Lutheran Church, Clinton, Iowa. Visitation will be on Friday, July 7, 2023, at Zion Lutheran Church from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM. A meal will follow the service in the Zion Lutheran Parish Hall. Serving as pallbearers will be Doug Glawe, Rob Plein, Bill Scherf III, Brad Scherf, Chris Scherf, Jeff Scherf, Henry Van Note, and Oliver Van Note. A graveside service will be held at Garnavillo Cemetery, Garnavillo, Iowa on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at 11:00 AM. Snell-Zornig Funeral Homes – Clinton, Iowa is assisting the family, online condolences may be expressed by visiting his obituary at www.snellzornig.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Wayne’s name may be made to Zion Lutheran Church.

Wayne Van Note

July 12, 1939 - June 30, 2023