VERENA E. HUGHES, 90, of Cherokee, Iowa passed away Thursday, April 24, 2014 at Countryside Estates in Cherokee.

Funeral services will be held on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cherokee, Iowa. Pastor Jon Riggert will officiate. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee. There will be a family prayer service at 10:45 a.m. at the church on Wednesday. Visitation will be on Tuesday from 2 p.m until 8 p.m with the family present from 6 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. On line condolences may be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com

Verena was born June 11, 1923 at Gan Valley, South Dakota to Chester and Amanda (Vehe) Steward.  She attended Cherokee Schools.  She was married to Kenneth Hughes on February 19, 1952 at Pipestone, Minnesota. Verena had lived in Cherokee all her life.  She had worked at the Cherokee Daily Times for a short time.  Most of her life was spent babysitting for many families in Cherokee.  She was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church in Cherokee. She loved cats.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Kenneth Hughes on March 15, 1987, a son Lester Childers, two sisters Julia Hedinger and Uretta Cavanaugh and one brother Henry Ivan Steward.

She is survived by her two children: Ivan Hughes of St. Louis, Missouri; Dawn (Don) Kulish of Uttica, South Dakota; 6 grandchildren and several great grandchildren; several nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews including Janice Taylor of Conroe, Texas and Brenda Allyn of Sioux City, Iowa.