VAN HORNE:  Darwin Ned "Bud" Struve, 93, died Saturday, June 8, at his residence in the Windsor Manor Assisted Living Care Facility in Vinton.

Darwin was born on October 7, 1925 in rural Tama County near Elberon to Louis and Laura (Schlieman) Struve. He attended several country schools in the county until his family moved to the Van Horne area where he graduated from Van Horne High School, class of 1944. After graduation he wanted to see the country so he hitchhiked through the Midwest and western states working for local farmers along the way helping to bring in the wheat harvest.

He was united in marriage to Lucylle Thompson in February of 1950 and that spring they rented a farm a mile south of Van Horne. After six years on the farm Darwin made a career change and was employed by Amana Refrigeration. The family moved several times around the Blairstown and Newhall area and finally to rural Van Horne when in 1957 Darwin got a job at Hubbard Milling Company in Cedar Rapids. For the next 31 years he drove a semi-truck hauling bulk and sacked feed to elevators, feed stores, farmers, and mills in IA, WI, IL and MN. After his retirement in 1988, he and Lucylle moved to Van Horne where he continued his driving career as a substitute school bus driver for the Benton Community School District for the next 20 years.

Darwin was an avid fisherman and through the years took fishing trips with various groups to lakes around the area, the state and to Canada. He also loved to play golf and he and Lucylle were active members of the Tara Hills Country Club in Van Horne. In June 2012 he shot a hole-in-one at Tara Hills. Darwin remained active well into his retirement, taking his daily walk around Van Horne, in good and bad weather. He also played golf until he was 90 years old.

Darwin and Lucylle were married for 64 years. After Lucylle's death Darwin moved to Windsor Manor Assisted Care Facility in Vinton. Darwin is survived by six children: Mary (Laverne) Halstead of Vinton; Helen Joy Nicholson of Cedar Rapids; Tom (Nancy) Struve of Palo; Betty Feinberg of Cedar Rapids; Jay (Ann) Struve of Iowa City; Janet (Marvin) Moffitt of Cedar Rapids; 16 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and 1 great-great grandchild. He is also survived by one brother, Rex (Sara) Struve of Monticello and a sister-in-law, Erma Thompson of Reedsburg WI. Darwin was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, Howard, Berlyn, Orland and a sister, Lorraine Steinford.

Visitation will be on Wednesday, June 12 from 4-7 PM at Phillips Funeral Home in Keystone. Funeral will be at 10:30 AM on Thursday, June 13 at Phillips Funeral Home in Keystone with burial immediately following the service at Salem Cemetery, rural Van Horne.

Memorials may be directed to Van Horne First Responders, Van Horne Public Library, Van Horne Salem United Methodist Church.

"The family would like to thank Windsor Manor for taking Dad on his final fishing trip to Roger's Park last Friday morning."