Hazel Marie Yoder Wenman

Hazel Marie (Vrchoticky) Yoder Wenman, 96, passed away Thursday, December 4, 2025, at Keystone Place in North Liberty with her family by her side. A celebration of life will be held Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at 11:00 AM at Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City. The service will be available via Livestream at the Beatty Peterseim Facebook and YouTube pages. The family will greet friends from 9 – 10:30 AM at the church that morning. Hazel has been cremated, and burial will be held at the Riverside Public Cemetery on Wednesday afternoon. A memorial fund has been established for the Keystone Place or St. Croix Hospice. The Beatty Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Hazel was born on April 5, 1929, in Johnson County, Iowa, to Joseph and Mary Vrchoticky. She graduated from Iowa City High School in 1947. She was married to Russell E. Yoder on November 19, 1947, at Zion Lutheran Church in Iowa City, Iowa. Russell passed away in 1988. In 1994, she married Arthur Wenman, who passed away in 2018.

Hazel had been a devoted member of Zion Lutheran Church since 1947. She also worked for the University of Iowa’s Hillcrest Dining Hall for 25 years (1965–1990), where she especially loved feeding the Iowa football players and Coach Hayden Fry. Along with this, she and her husband, Russell, spent many years raising their family as dairy farmers.

Every morning, Hazel began with coffee and social time, and every afternoon, she hosted another coffee break. Many days, this included a few hands of cards. There wasn’t a card game she didn’t enjoy, and every family member learned at least one card game from her. She loved the Riverside Casino. She also loved caring for her yard year-round and watching the animals that visited her backyard. She especially enjoyed watching birds at her feeders and was known to sit on her patio, talking to the deer and reminding them not to go near the road.

Not everyone knew that she would sweep the carpet with a broom to remove the walker tracks each morning or that she carefully swept the living room so it always looked freshly vacuumed. Her home was always beautifully kept, a reflection of the care and love she put into everything she did. We called her the “White Tornado”

Hazel spent her last 18 months at Keystone Place on Forevergreen Road, where she treasured her friendships and felt deeply loved and respected by everyone there.

She will be greatly missed by her four children: Linda (Ron) Ruth, Larry (Terri Lynn) Yoder, Virginia (John) Stumpf, and Terry Lee Yoder. She is also survived by her stepchildren, Tom (Lori) Wenman, Richard (Catrina) Wenman, and Jane Wenman.

Hazel leaves behind 11 grandchildren: Brian (Kelly) Robertson, Chris (Angie) Robertson, Dan (Jen) Robertson, Aaron (Elizabeth) Robertson, Nathan (Justina) Yoder, Pat (Rebeca) Yoder, Nikki (Tyler) Gerot, Heather Stumpf (Micah Peck), Melissa (Scott) Gerot, Brittnee (Cody) Schneider, and Tom (Kelsey) Stumpf.

She was active in the lives of her 26 great-grandchildren: Ashley Robertson (John Horesowsky), Emily (Andrew) Brock, Abbey (Kyle) Gillian; Tate, Cale, and Will Robertson; Jaselyn and Gabi Robertson; Aubrey and Brynnley Robertson; Hailey, Alora, and Kai Yoder; Gracyn, Aiden, and Max Yoder; Ryker, Kohen, and Dristin Gerot; Maryn and Jax Gerot; Levi, Emma, and Dean Schneider; and Luke and Lexi Stumpf.

She was also blessed with three great-great-grandchildren: Kynlee and Sutton Gillian; and Wren Robertson.

Hazel was preceded in death by her husband, Russell Yoder; her second husband, Arthur Wenman; her granddaughter, Brooke Stumpf; her great-grandson, Beckett Gerot; her parents, Joseph and Mary Vrchoticky; her brothers, Donald, Sylvester, and Robert Vrchoticky; and her sisters, Ethel Mason, Dorothy Hightshoe, and Rita Emerson.

The family would like to thank all of the staff at Keystone Place in North Liberty, St. Croix Hospice, and her card partner Mark Schneider for all the care they provided to Hazel.