Ione B. Potter, age 91, of Elgin, Iowa, entered the presence of the Lord on January 24, 2026 after a brief illness at her home in Elgin. Ione Bertha Sofie Walke was born on September 15, 1934 in Guttenberg, Iowa to the late Walter and Elsie (Tuecke) Walke of Guttenberg. She was baptized in the Lutheran faith at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Guttenberg, and confirmed on April 10, 1949. Ione attended the Ceres Country School, a one room school house, for eight years. She then attended Guttenberg High School where she was proud to have been crowned Homecoming Queen her senior year. She graduated in 1952, moved to Cedar Rapids and began work in the IBM department at Quaker Oats. Coming from the farm and small town life of Guttenberg, Ione really enjoyed her time in Cedar Rapids and life in the city.
She was united in marriage to William (Bill) L. Potter at St. John’s Lutheran Church on May 26, 1956. Ione and Bill met at Guttenberg’s infamous Lakeside Ballroom. They moved to Miami, Florida where Bill was stationed with the Marines Corp. For two years she worked in a clerical role for a Miami financial firm. She often found herself carrying large sums of money in an unmarked bag down the streets of Miami to be deposited in the local bank. (Can you imagine that happening now!) After Bill’s discharge from his service, they moved back to Iowa and started farming on her family’s farm near Guttenberg. After a couple years, they purchased their own farm near Clayton Center where they had a typical small farm for the 1960’s, consisting of dairy cows, pigs, sheep, a goat, and chickens. They raised all of their own crops on just over 110 acres. Ione gave birth to five children from 1958-1966, Sharon, David, Kevin, Janet and Robert (Bob).
Their farmhouse had only three bedrooms and quickly became too small. They sold the dairy cows in 1969, moved and rented a farm near St. Olaf with a bigger house and a new opportunity to expand their chicken business. A building was converted to a laying hen farm where over 11,000 eggs were produced daily and sold to Heying Firms in West Union. They continued to operate both farms. Ione loved the time she spent gathering eggs and taking care of the chickens and farm life. Bill, Ione and family eventually remodeled the house at the Clayton Center farm and moved back in February of 1976. Ione had begun working at Scenic Acres Residential Care Facility in 1976 as a meal cook in addition to her farm activities. She eventually achieved the status of head cook before her retirement in 1999. She enjoyed the relationship with the many residents and co-workers, developing lifelong friendships. Unfortunately, in May of 1985, a deadly tornado struck Scenic Acres as well as the farm at Clayton Center where Ione, Bill and their youngest son, Bob still resided. Their house and farmyard were completely destroyed causing them to move to Elkader.
Ione shared almost 47 years of marriage before Bill’s death in 2003. They enjoyed travelling together to New Zealand and Australia, bus trips across the US and journeys to visit children and grandchildren that lived in and out of state. Some of her fondest memories are working with Bill at the Wadena Outlet Store and the many trips they took to MN, WI and IL to purchase inventory for resale at the store. After Bill’s death, Ione moved to Elgin in 2008 to be near her children. She continued to travel and enjoyed trips to Hawaii and Alaska. Ione loved and excelled at playing cards, especially Euchre and 7’s with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Oftentimes, she quietly claimed a victory before anyone knew what was happening. She looked forward to planning large family gatherings for Christmas or “Thanxmas” and the annual summer “Grandma Camp” at Beulahland Christian Camp. Her hobby of growing and taking care of her flower garden kept her busy and active up until her death. Ione enjoyed spending time, having lunch and playing cards with “The Girls” in Elgin. She was actively involved and enjoyed her contributions and fellowship with the ladies of Norway Lutheran Church where she has been a member for over 30 years. Some of her last words were that she wanted to just rest and think about the “beautiful life that she had”.
Ione is survived by five children, Sharon (Tom) Rich of Clermont, David (Cathy) of Madison, Wisconsin, Kevin (Anita) of St. Olaf, Janet (Mark) Cook, West Des Moines, and Bob of Bedford, New Hapshire; sister-in-law, Orion Zirtzman, Cedar Rapids; brother-in-law, Delbert (Linda) Potter, Oelwein; grandchildren, Joel (Jennie) Cardo of Walker, Michelle (Shane) Rothlisberger of West Union, Jonathan (Jodi) Cardo of Postville, Katie (Adam) Phillips of Cottage Grove, Wisconsin, Melissa Meinke, of Madison, Wisconsin, Daniel (Kristen) Potter, of Washington, Illinois, Bailey Cook (fiancé, Dallas Brewer) of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Allison Cook, of Minneapolis; Matthew, Avery, and Justin Potter of Bedford, New Hampshire; step grandchildren, Lisa Waldsmith and Erik (Stephanie) Hutchins of Madison; twenty-three great-grandchildren and bonus family members, Elaine Tan, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia and Tobias Stirner, of Dresden, Germany.
She was preceded in death by her husband Bill; her parents, Walter and Elsie Walke, and infant brother, Wilfred, who died at birth.
A Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Friday, January 30, 2026 at Norway Lutheran Church located at 18829 200th St., St. Olaf, Iowa. There will also be a one hour visitation before services at the church on Saturday.
Funeral Service will be at 10:30 am on Saturday, January 31, 2026 at Norway Lutheran Church in St. Olaf, Iowa with Rev. Marshall Hahn as the officiant.
Lunch will immediately follow the service at the church.
Burial at Guttenberg Municipal City Cemetery will follow the luncheon at 2:00 PM.
Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of Elgin, Iowa is assisting the family with services.