Chuck Grassley: “Today, I pay tribute to a tireless civic leader from northwest Iowa who led a remarkable life of service for more than a…”

“Today, I pay tribute to a tireless civic leader from northwest Iowa who led a remarkable life of service for more than a century, richly steeped in family, faith, and citizenship. On this very day, my friend Vergene Donovan will be laid to final rest, joining her parents Harry and Minnie Bleeker, her husband Ed, both siblings, and her eldest son who preceded her in life everlasting. Vergene Edna Bleeker was born on March 4, 1924, on her parents' farm near Spencer, IA. For the next 101 years, this outstanding Iowan pursued life with vim and vigor to make her community and our country a better place. Her birth during a late winter blizzard forecasted a gritty resilience that shaped her decades-long devotion to community service and tenacity to overcome adversity. The loss of her father during childhood shaped her tireless work ethic that she put to extraordinary use on the campaign trail for Presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, and local candidates for more than eight decades.”