Velva DeLong

Velva DeLong, 99, of Mt. Pleasant, IA, passed away on Friday, April 18, 2014 at New London Nursing and Rehab Center, New London, Iowa. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m., on Tuesday, April 22, 2014, at the Olson~Powell Memorial Chapel of Mt. Pleasant, IA with Mr. Sam Reighard officiating. The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service at the Chapel. Burial will be Burge Cemetery, rural New London. Memorials have been established to Calvary Baptist Church. Born December 10, 1914 in Henry County, Iowa, Velva May was the daughter of Charlie and Annetta (Jones) Thornburg. She attended Lee County Schools. She resided all her life in southeast Iowa in the towns of Croton, Lowell, Oakville, Morning Sun, Burlington, West Burlington, Mt. Pleasant and New London. On May 23, 1937 she married Newell DeLong in Lowell, IA. He preceded her in death on December 15, 2003. Velva was a homemaker and lovingly tended to the needs of her family. She liked to cook and bake and care for flowering plants. Her needlework hobbies included quilting, crocheting, knitting, and embroidery. She especially enjoyed dressing dolls for distribution to children at Christmas time. Velva was a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Mt. Pleasant, IA. Survivors include a daughter, Beverly (Robert) Whitaker of Kansas City, MO; a brother, Dayton (Janice) Thornburg of New London, IA; two grandsons; two great-grandchildren; three step great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; a brother, Burton Thornburg; and a sister, Marna Carr. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Calvary Baptist Church.