VERLE BLAINE LENZ
VERLE BLAINE LENZ
Verle Blaine Lenz was born to Verle and Patricia (Olson) Lenz on April 28, 1952. He grew up on a farm west of Jewell, Iowa, and graduated from South Hamilton Community Schools in 1970.
In 1978, Blaine graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. degree in Ag Business as well as a minor in Finance. He was employed by The Travelers Insurance Companies, making real estate loans to customers for the financing of farmland, and the purchase, management, and sale of farmland for clients. He worked throughout the United States and held senior management positions in the Des Moines, Chicago, and Memphis regional offices, as well as the corporate office in Hartford.
In 1996, Blaine moved back to Iowa and assumed the position of President of the Brenton Bank in Eagle Grove. In 1999, he accepted a position as Senior Vice President at Hampton State Bank, which was recently purchased and merged into First Security Bank and Trust of Charles City.
On December 30, 2006, Blaine was united in marriage to Cheryl Doolittle at Harvest Evangelical Free Church in Story City, Iowa. He retired from banking in 2016.
He was a member of Harvest Evangelical Church in Story City, Hampton Rotary Club, Franklin County Development Association, Hampton Chamber of Commerce, Hampton-Dumont FFA Advisory Committee, and the Forum Club. He loved snow skiing, as was evident by the medals he won at the Iowa Games, boating and water skiing, spending weekends on Porsche tours, and sports car racing.
Blaine passed away May 29 at Bethany Life in Story City after a well-fought battle with cancer.
Those thankful for having shared his life include his wife Cheryl of Story City; step-children Jayme (Jason) Kupka of Story City, Ryan Doolittle of Ames and Kristen Doolittle of Durango, CO; 3 step-grandchildren Tyler, Kinzen, and Zoey Kupka; his mother Patricia Lenz; his sister Marcy Lenz, brother Tracy (Robin) Lenz, sister Melanie (Randy) Imhoff; his mother-in-law Shirley Larson; sister-in-law Suzanne (Robert) Barkema, brother-in-law Steven (Pamela) Larson, sister-in-law Julie (Dennis) Reinsch; along with many other relatives and friends.
Blaine was preceded in death by his father, Verle Lenz, and his grandparents Clifton and Vera Lenz and Clifford and Maree Olson.
Let us give thanks to God this day for the life and memory of Blaine Lenz.