RAY J. VRING
Funeral services for Ray J. Vring, 81, of Alta, will be held Wednesday, April 17, 2019, at 10:30 A.M. at the Church of Christ in Alta, with Pastor Ben Michaels officiating. Burial will be in the St. John Lutheran Cemetery, Hanover, IA. Visitation will be Tuesday, from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M., with the family present from 6:00 to 8:00, at the church. The Redig Funeral Home in Aurelia is in charge of arrangements.
Ray John Vring was born January 19, 1938 the son of John Dietrich and Edna Marie (Hustedt) Vring at home north of Aurelia in Afton Township, Cherokee County. He attended school in Aurelia and Alta.
On June 22nd, 1962 Ray was united in marriage to Carolyn Dirks in Jackson, MN.
Ray was a farmer all of his life. He had a number of side jobs over the years including; delivering the rural Des Moines Register for 24 years and the Storm Lake Advertiser for eleven years, mowing lawns and scooping snow. Ray enjoyed collecting Farmall International memorabilia, and was an avid collector of caps. He enjoyed going to parades with his children and grandchildren. He was a member of the Church of Christ in Alta.
Ray was a survivor of colorectal cancer since 2010. He died of COPD on Sunday, April 14, 2019, with his family at his side at his home in Alta.
Preceding Ray in death were his parents, his wife Carolyn in 1999, one brother, Harry Milton Vring in 1936 in infancy, father-in-law, Harold Dirks, and two sons-in-law; Michael Snedeker, and Howard Dowdy.
Survivors include seven children; Mary Dowdy of Aurelia, Judy Snedeker of Storm Lake, John and Kelley Vring of Aurelia, Diane Vring of Alta, Michelle and Scott Gaes of Sergeant Bluff, Stephanie Vring and Michael Schwint of Storm Lake, and JoAnn Foley and Clint DeVore of Storm Lake, fifteen grandchildren, and sixteen great-grand-children. Also surviving are his mother-in-law, Florence Dirks of Round Rock, TX, three brothers-in-law; Darold and Janice Dirks of Round Rock, TX, Bob Dirks of Spencer, and Lynn and Deb Dirks of Alta, and one sister-in-law, Barb Lehman of Ruthven, and other relatives and friends.