White Funeral Home
400 First Street West
Independence, Iowa 50644

Independence – Norene H. Ronnebaum of Independence, Iowa, passed away peacefully at Unity Point Health- Allen Hospital on Wednesday, May 18, 2016.

Norene was born on October 16, 1917, to Joseph and Helena Engelken  Buessing on a farm near Baileyville, Kansas.  Norene married Leonard Ronnebaum on May 9, 1946, after he returned from the WW II war effort.  They were married for nearly 65 years when Leonard passed away in 2011.  Most of those years were  spent in the Independence area where she was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church and the Catholic Daughters of the Americas.

Norene loved to play cards, do needlework and be with her family.  She wasn’t afraid to try new things such as riding in a wagon train across the Midwest with Leonard , (mild) white water rafting in Alaska at age 86 with her daughters and flying with her son in a two seater airplane from Independence, Iowa to Dodge City, Kansas at the age of 94.  Her last travel adventure was flying to San Diego and Los Angeles in 2013 where her granddaughter introduced her to the Southern California beach scene.

Norene is survived by her three children:  Karol (Jim) Quiring of San Diego, Morris (Candy) Ronnebaum of Independence and Jeani Eich of Spirit Lake, Iowa, 8 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.   Norene was preceded in death by her husband, Leonard, son Bill who passed away in 1969 and infant daughter, Donna in 1959.  Son-in-law Bill Eich passed away in October of 2015.  She was also preceded in death by 2 sisters and 6 brothers.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, May 23, 2016, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Independence.  Rev. Donald Plamondon will be the Celebrant.  Burial will be in the church cemetery.  Friends may call for visitation from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday, May 22^nd, at the White Funeral Home in Independence where a C.D.A. and Parish Rosary begins at 3 p.m. and a Vigil Service begins at 4:30 p.m.