James Edward Rumann

James Edward Rumann, 87, of Bellevue, Iowa, passed away Sunday, July 2nd at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics after a courageous two-month struggle with congestive heart failure. James died peacefully with his wife Mary, his daughters and friends at his side. Visitation will be at the Kingery Funeral Home in Bellevue, Iowa on Wednesday from 4-7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated at 10:00 am Thursday, July 6th, 2006 at St. Josephs Church in Bellevue. Mr. Rumann is survived by his wife of 59 years, Mary Jane; three daughters, Mary White of Chandler, Arizona, Trudy (John) Heil of Scottsdale, Arizona, Liz (Mark) Mathis of Cedar Rapids; six grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He also held a special place in his heart for cousins, Jim and Sally Keil, of Bellevue and Phil Bousselot of rural Grand Mound. James was born in Clymer (Chautaqua County), New York on December 20th, 1918. He and his mother moved to Iowa in 1919 to be closer to family after the death of his father, Earnest. James grew up on a farm near Andrew, Iowa and excelled as a student. He was sent to study at St. Berkmans Academy in Marion, Iowa for his elementary school and then graduated from Andrew High School in 1934. At age 16, Mr. Rumann was one of the youngest students to ever attend Columbia College, now named Loras College. He settled into farming until he was called to duty during World War II from 1941-1945. James served with the 793rd Field Artillery Battalion and was fortunate to attend many of their reunions held across the country within the last 30 years. James married Mary Eleanor (Mary Jane) Bousselot on September 2nd, 1946. The two farmed and raised a family near DeWitt, where they lived until retiring in 1981. The couple moved to Bellevue and enjoyed boating, fishing, traveling and entertaining. They most recently had lived at Sunrise Villa Assisted Living in Bellevue. Mary Eleanor recently relocated to be closer to her daughter, Liz in Cedar Rapids. James was active in many organizations including; Past President of the Welton School Board, Clinton County Conservation Board, Knights of Columbus (Grand Knight) and American Legion. Mr. Rumann was a life-long Cubs fan who hoped this might be a World Series year. www.kingeryfuneralhome.com