09/06/2019
Regena Pauline (DesCamp) Wilkes, age 85, of Knoxville, Iowa, passed away on Friday, September 6, 2019 at Greater Regional Hospice House in Creston.
Regena was born on April 5, 1934, near Knoxville, Iowa. She was the daughter of Narcessa and Florence (Davies) Des Camp.
Regena was united in marriage to Herman Sylvester Wilkes on December 31, 1950, in Knoxville, Iowa.
Regena and Herman lived on a farm in Southwest Iowa for 20 years, where she helped raise their two daughters. They moved back to the Knoxville area where Herman worked as a Park Officer for Robert’s Creek Park, with Regena working right along beside him with mowing and keeping the bathrooms immaculate! She loved meeting all the campers. They met a lot of lifelong friends there.
After Herman retired, they moved back to Knoxville to enjoy retirement. They were like two peas in a pod, you rarely saw one without the other.
Regena loved being around her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was always outside mowing their yard, planting flowers, and going on short vacations. She loved cooking big meals for the family when they could get together, especially during holidays.
She also enjoyed hosting the out of town (and out of the country) guests that stayed with them during the Nationals each year. Regena was a member of the Community of Christ Church in Knoxville.
Regena’s wishes were to be cremated. A Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, September 20, 2019, at the Winfield Funeral Home in Knoxville at 11:00 A.M. with Elder Bill McDonald officiating.
Regena’s family will be present to greet friends and relatives, beginning at 9:00 A.M. until the start of service. Burial will follow at Graceland Cemetery in Knoxville. Following the burial, a luncheon will be held at Community of Christ Church in Knoxville.
Those left to cherish Regena’s memory include her daughters, Cathy (Kenny) Schaefer of Diaganol and Connie (Steve) Williams of Knoxville; five grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; three brothers-in-law, Don Green, Sr., Harry VanderVeer, and Kenny Six; one
sister-in-law, Dorothy Whitlatch; and many nieces and nephews.
Regena is preceded in death by her parents, Narcessa and Florence Des Camp; husband, Herman Wilkes; three brothers, Dale, Delno, and Lewis Whitlatch; and five sisters, Vera Mae DeRaad, Yvonne Green, Germaine Shappell, Julie VanderVeer, and Wilma Six.