August 24, 1935 - July 2, 2023
Funeral Mass for Patricia Hardcopf was held on Friday, July 7, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at the Divine Mercy Parish - St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Joe. Burial was in the Lu Verne Township Cemetery in Lu Verne.
Patricia (Werner) Hardcopf, the daughter of Lorene Smith Werner and Larry Werner was born Aug. 24, 1935, in Renwick. The family moved several times, and she attended school at Vernon and Livermore before graduating from Gillete Grove high school in 1953. She worked for the state of Iowa welfare office in Spencer prior to marrying William Hardcopf on Aug. 27, 1955, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Corwith. To this union there are four children, Mark, Julie, Roger and Angie.
Pat and Bill lived their entire married life and raised their family in Lu Verne. Pat loved her community and served it in many ways. She was the head librarian and oversaw the building of the new library in 1968. She also served as city clerk for 25 years before retiring in 2005. She continued as township clerk, served on the ambulance crew and did other volunteer activities after her retirement. She enjoyed the Lu Verne Celebration and having her children and grandchildren part of the parade every year.
Pat was very creative. She was a talented seamstress and designed and sewed not just her clothes, but also for her children and grandchildren, including her daughter’s wedding dress and granddaughter’s first communion dress. She also liked to crochet and knit. Her crocheted doilies are a work of art and prize winning. She was proud of the blue ribbon she earned at the Kossuth County Fair. She was also a talented painter. She painted several ceramic Santa’s and nativity sets that her family treasures. If you ever passed their barn, you saw the farm animals she painted on the doors. Pat always had a big garden and spent the fall canning the produce for her family. She even bottled homemade ketchup. She was organic before it was trendy.
Pats love of design led her to Reed’s furniture in Algona where she worked for several years helping people select furniture, flooring, draperies and furnishings for their homes.
The family enjoyed many camping trips to Crystal Lake and Okoboji in the small trailer Pat refurbished with her Dad, lovingly nick-named “Pat and Bill’s Mini-Wini.” Pat and Bill also enjoyed going to dances at the many ballrooms in the area. The polkas were their favorite. Bill passed away in 2011.
Pat was an active member of St Mary’s Church in Corwith and later St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bode. Her faith was very important to her. Her family thanks her for the many rosaries she prayed for them.
In 2018, Pat moved to Johnston where she made a new set of friends and was able to spend more time with grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was able to experience some of the amenities of the “big city” but her heart always remained in Lu Verne.
Sorry, Mom, if we forgot something when you would tell us over the years, “make sure that goes in my obituary.”
She passed away on July 2 at her home in Johnston. She was 87.
Left to treasure Pat’s memory are her children: Mark Hardcopf of Algona, Julie (Lynn) Nelson of West Des Moines, Roger (Cyndie) Hardcopf of Boyd, Texas; and Angie (Regi) Goodale of Urbandale. Her grandchildren: Andrea (Josh) Andersen, Grant (Anna) Nelson, Daniel Nelson, Joseph Nelson, Mary Nelson, Jenny (Jordan) Stagg, Rick Hardcopf, Lauren (Ben) Hokamp, Mallorie (James) Bussey, and Olivia (Zach) Denning; her great-grandchildren: Griffin and Hampel Nelson, Agnes, Miriam, and Judah Hokamp and Lucy Bussey; her sister Rosemary Mills and brothers Jim and Tony Werner.
She is preceded in death by her husband Bill, her parents and her brothers, Larry and John Werner.
The family would like to thank the caregivers at Wesley Life Hospice and the staff at Brio of Johnston, who made it possible for her to stay in her home and receive care.
Memorials can be directed to the family. A memorial in Pat’s name will be made to the city of Lu Verne at a later date.
Arrangements were handled by Oakcrest Funeral Services of Lu Verne. Condolences may be left at www.oakcrestfuneralservices.com.