Pat Vermillion

Published by editor on Wed, 07/12/2023 - 8:39am

Pat Vermillion, 93, passed away Monday, July 10, 2023, at the Eastern Star Masonic Home in Boone.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 A.M. Saturday, July 15, 2023, at the Grace Community Church, 625 South Division Street, in Boone. Visitation will be from 9:30 to 10:30 A.M. Saturday at the church. Burial will be in Linwood Park Cemetery, Boone. The family requests casual attire.

Pat was born June 12, 1930, in Newton, Iowa, the daughter of Cornelius and Mary (Gerhart) Kleinendorst. She attended schools in Newton and graduated from Newton High School in 1947.

Pat was united in marriage to Richard “Doc” Vermillion on October 10, 1949, at a Methodist church in Newton. The two of them raised four children and shared 71 years together.

Pat and Doc had a buffalo, Buffalo Bob, and many horses for years. The whole Vermillion family was involved in showing horses for around 30 years, where they had two Grand World Champions and three World Champions. After the family stopped showing horses, Pat became the motorhome driver for Doc when he rode RAGBRAI.

Pat was the Boss of the family and took care of all the family affairs and helped run Doc’s practice. She was an avid Iowa State Cyclones fan. Pat enjoyed feeding the squirrels and insisted they would only eat Sara Lee Honey wheat bread and could go through a loaf a day.

Pat loved her family and adored her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandson. At the holidays, Pat hosted all of the family up until she was 90 years old.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Doc in 2020; and a brother, Rodger Kleinendorst.

Pat is survived by her children, Terry (Ron) Bittle, Jeff (Kay) Vermillion, Robin (Brian) Beatty, and Scott (Jennifer) Vermillion; 13 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson; two sisters, Sandy (Davis) Eidahl and Barbara Shelton.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets in Boone. Online condolences may be left to Pat’s family at www.schroedermemorial.com.