Beverly Martha Gunderson

Beverly Martha Gunderson, the daughter of Arthur Kristen and Erma Martha (Hansen) Bro, was born December 9, 1939, at her parents’ home in Audubon County near Brayton, Iowa, and died May 7, 2024, at her home in Atlantic, Iowa, at the age of 84 years.

Beverly was baptized and confirmed at Exira Lutheran Church in Exira, Iowa. She attended Audubon #9 country school and then graduated as valedictorian of her class at Exira High School, Class of 1958. She attended the University of Northern Iowa and later earned her associate degree in business from Iowa Western Community College. November 17, 1962, she was united in marriage to William Andrew Gunderson at Exira Lutheran Church, Exira, Iowa. Two children, Eric and Penny, were born to this union. In 1973, she began work as Office Assistant at Cass County Extension Service and retired after a long, devoted career.

She was a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Atlantic, where she was a member of the women’s circle, volunteered with many activities, and often made her now famous Funeral Salad. She loved playing golf, especially with the Golden Girls. She loved playing bridge and was in several clubs, one of which she enjoyed for 50 years with the same partner. She enjoyed decades of getting together with her dear friends of Birthday Club to celebrate each person’s special day and other special groups of friends such as the neighbor lunch group and her Nishna Hills friends. In recent years, she became a big puzzle fan.

She enjoyed travelling to such places as Arizona and Texas to visit friends and family and to all the many places where her daughter has lived. A special joy was visits with her nieces and nephews and their children.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother-in-law, Ed Daniels.

Survivors include her husband, Bill Gunderson of Atlantic; children Eric of Atlantic and Penny McDonald (significant other Keith Neisler) of San Antonio, Texas; sister Barb (Bill) Colbert of Fairfax, Virginia; brother Rich (Sheryl) Bro of Bloomington, Illinois; sister Bernie (Ken) Brown of Raleigh, North Carolina; sisters-in-law Juliann Daniels of Lisle, Illinois, and Jane Murray of Fulton, Missouri; and many beloved nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, other relatives and special friends.

Memorial Services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 25, 2024, at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Atlantic, IA, with Pastor Lauri Boysen officiating. Visitation with the family will be from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. prior to the service at the church.

Memorial contributions may be directed to St. Paul's Lutheran Church or the Atlantic Food Pantry in Beverly's name and may be sent in care of Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022.

The Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Atlantic is Caring for the Gunderson family at this time.