Funeral Services for 80-year-old Patricia “Pat” A. Sundberg, of rural Hamlin, Iowa, will be held on Monday, November 6, at 10:30 a.m. at Our Saviour’s Luthern Church in Audubon, with burial in the Maple Grover Cemetery in Audubon. The family will greet friends this afternoon from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon.
Patricia Ann Sunberg, the daughter of Stanley and Dorothy (Dreher) Mathisen, was born November 9, 1942, in rural Audubon County, Iowa and died November 2, 2023, at St. Athony Regional Hospital in Carroll, Iowa at the age of 80 years, 11 months, and 23 days.
Pat was baptized and confirmed at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. Her father was in the U.S. Army and the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico where he was stationed. After Stanley was honorably discharged, they returned to Iowa and rented farms. Pat attended rural school in Audubon County before they moved to a farm north of Gray, Iowa where she attended rural school in Carroll County, Iowa. During the summers she would help on the farm by driving tractors as they baled and stored hay. While in high school she was a catcher or center fielder for the Gray softball team and also was a waitress at Frank and Vi’s Café in Gray. She then graduated from the Manning High School with the Class of 1961. Following graduation, she enrolled in the C E School of Commerce in Omaha, Nebraska. After she graduated she worked at First State Bank in Audubon.
On June 2, 1962, she was united in marriage to Dwayne Sunberg at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon. They were blessed with three children: Terry, Tereasa, and Tanya. They lived on Dwayne’s parents’ farm. Pat worked at the bank for a number of years then retired to raise the children and help Dwayne on the farm. They did custom baling and Pat drove the tractor. She helped with chores involving farrowing sows, feeding baby calves, and helping lamb out 1,500 head of sheep. Later they custom fed 1000’s of hogs. Pat had the job at the sorting gate. She helped with harvest keeping the grain away from the combine. In 1992, she took some time off to deal with an illness and resumed her work when she recovered.
Pat was a member of Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Audubon, where she taught Sunday school. She was a member of the Altar Guild and helped make quilts when she had time. She was a member of the Rural Homemakers and later the R & R Club and enjoyed playing cards during the winters. Pat enjoyed putting jigsaw puzzles together and watching birds. She loved working in her flower garden and received the Prettiest Farm in Iowa awarded by the Our Iowa magazine in 2018. Pat enjoyed country and western music, but most of all enjoyed her family especially the grandchildren and great grandchildren.
Preceding her in death was her grandson, Matthew Sunberg; her parents, Stanley and Dorothy Mathisen, and Dwayne’s parents, Merrill and Maxine Sunberg; her sister-in-law, Donna and husband Russell Miller; and her nephew, Jim Mathisen.
Survivors include her husband of 62 years Dwayne Sunberg of Hamlin, Iowa; her children Terry and wife Marla Sunberg of Audubon, Iowa, Tereasa and husband John Negrete of Johnston, Iowa, and Tanya and Mike Lamb of Greenfield, Iowa; 4 grandchildren: Amanda Young and friend Sam of Exira, Iowa, Melissa and husband Kyle Tena of Norwalk, Iowa, Danielle and husband Yoti Boutsalis of Pleasant Hill, Iowa, and Colton Thomas of Mitchellville, Iowa; 5 great grandchildren: Matty Young and Hailey Young both of Exira, Iowa, Garrett Tena and Nora Tena both of Norwalk, Iowa, and Nikos Boutsalis of Pleasant Hill, Iowa; her brothers and sisters: Don and wife Wanda Mathisen of Council Bluffs, Iowa, Sandi and husband Ted White of Augusta, Montana, Sharlene Lanktree of Basin, Wyoming, Steve and wife Raydene Mathisen of Audubon, Iowa, and Arlene Jorgensen of Missoula, Montana; nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
The family will greet friends on Sunday afternoon, November 5, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, Iowa. Funeral services will be conducted by Pastor Dan Beattie on Monday morning, November 6, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church. The interment will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery. The honorary casket bearers will be Tom Pauley, Jeff Moreland, Bryan Clemsen, Howard Paulsen, Brad Weber, Rod Williams, Brad Suhr, Dennis Menefee, and Duane Christoffersen. The casket bearers will be Brent Chambers, Matt Chambers, Fred Muhr, Tom Muhr, Joe Muhr, and Jim Goecke.
The family prefers memorials to the Audubon Fire and Rescue Department.
