Searching for Grau Funeral Home obituaries in Iowa? Grau Funeral Homes & Cremation Service publishes death notices and life stories for families across northeastern Iowa, including Monona, Elkader, Postville, Ossian, West Union, McGregor, Elgin, and Clermont. You can find a recent obituary, check funeral or visitation arrangements, and contact the chapel assisting a family.
Open the official Grau Funeral Homes obituary directory. Search for the person’s name or browse the recent notices. Open the individual life story for any published service, burial, and memorial details.
View Official ObituariesMain contact: 563-539-2170 — Grau Funeral Homes, Monona, Iowa.
Recent Grau Funeral Home Obituaries
The Grau website maintains an obituary directory covering deaths across its service area. The following examples were published on its official website. This is a dated reference list, not a live feed of the newest obituaries.
Person |
Community |
Date of death |
|---|---|---|
Verna Mae Skinner |
Ossian, Iowa |
October 13, 2026 |
Blaine Robert Hanson |
West Union, Iowa |
September 6, 2026 |
Brian Philip Rodenberg |
McGregor, Iowa |
August 29, 2026 |
Ricky Allen Lenth |
Luana, Iowa |
August 28, 2026 |
Rita Marie Larson |
Elkader, Iowa |
August 28, 2026 |
Norma Jean Asleson |
Monona, Iowa |
August 26, 2026 |
For a complete and more current list, use the official obituary directory. A notice’s publication date may differ from the person’s date of death.
Grau’s obituary for Verna Mae Skinner of Ossian announced a funeral service at 11:00 a.m. on October 17, 2026, at Stavanger Lutheran Church, with visitation beginning at 9:00 a.m. and interment following at Stavanger Lutheran Cemetery. Schmitz-Grau Funeral Home assisted the family.
How to Search Grau Funeral Home Obituaries by Name
If you know the person’s last name, start there. The town where the person lived and an approximate date of death can help you distinguish between similar names.
Go to graufuneralhomes.com/category/obituaries/. Look for the “Search Obituaries” area or browse the displayed life stories.
Enter the surname into the available search field. If the results are too broad, use the person’s full first and last name.
If the first search fails, try the person’s middle name, maiden name, nickname, or a different spelling. Someone remembered as “Bob” may have a notice under “Robert.”
Check the location included in the result. Grau serves numerous northeastern Iowa communities, so a familiar town can help identify the correct person.
Open the obituary or select “Read Life Story.” Look for service and visitation dates, the ceremony venue, burial instructions, memorial preferences, and family information.
Check the exact service address and Iowa local time. If an announcement is incomplete or a service may have changed, call the chapel assisting the family.
Grau Funeral Homes: Locations and Phone Numbers
Grau operates eight published funeral home locations. The name appearing on an obituary may be Schutte-Grau, Schmitz-Grau, Leonard-Grau, Thornburg-Grau, or Burnham-Wood-Grau rather than simply “Grau Funeral Home.”
Funeral home |
Address |
Phone |
|---|---|---|
Leonard-Grau — Monona |
500 W. Center Street, Monona, IA 52159 |
|
Leonard-Grau — Elkader |
405 N. 1st Street, Elkader, IA 52043 |
|
Leonard-Grau — Elgin |
200 Clermont Street, Elgin, IA 52141 |
|
Schutte-Grau — Clermont |
316 Mill Street, Clermont, IA 52135 |
|
Schutte-Grau — Postville |
214 E. Tilden Street, Postville, IA 52162 |
|
Schmitz-Grau — Ossian |
125 W. Main Street, Ossian, IA 52161 |
|
Thornburg-Grau — McGregor |
625 Main Street, McGregor, IA 52157 |
|
Burnham-Wood-Grau — West Union |
212 East Elm Street, West Union, IA 52175 |
These addresses and numbers come from the official Grau Funeral Homes location directory.
Office: 500 W. Center Street, Monona, Iowa 52159
Mailing address: PO Box 973, Monona, IA 52159
Phone: 563-539-2170
Email: info@graufuneralhomes.com
How to Find Funeral, Visitation and Burial Details
Most people checking a recent obituary need more than a date of death. They want to know where to go, when to arrive, and whether the family has announced a public service.
Look for the date, time, church, chapel, community venue, or other service location.
Check whether visitation takes place before the funeral or on a separate day.
Read the notice for the cemetery name and whether interment follows the service.
See whether the family has requested a donation, flowers, or another form of remembrance.
Do not assume the funeral takes place at the funeral home. Grau may help arrange services at a church, cemetery, or other gathering place. Use the actual service venue named in the obituary.
Before leaving for a funeral
- Confirm the person’s complete name and community.
- Check the published date and starting time.
- Read the exact address of the service location.
- Find out whether visitation and burial are separate events.
- Allow extra travel time for rural Iowa roads and seasonal weather.
- Call the assisting chapel if arrangements are unclear or subject to change.
What If the Obituary Is Missing?
Not every notice is posted immediately. The family may still be completing arrangements, may have requested privacy, or may be working with another funeral provider.
Check maiden names, married names, former surnames, and nicknames.
A person living outside town may be listed under Monona, Elkader, Postville, Ossian, or another nearby community.
Look several days or weeks beyond the expected date of death.
Older obituary entries may not appear on the main page.
What to ask when calling Grau
Have the person’s full name, approximate date of death, and last known community ready. You can ask:
Staff may be able to direct you to published arrangements. They may not be authorized to disclose private family information or details that have not been released publicly.
How to Find Older Grau Funeral Home Obituaries
For a death from several years or decades ago, use the current obituary website first, then expand your search to archival sources.
Start with the official obituary directory and browse older pages if necessary.
Grau’s older obituary page references its obituary archives and directs visitors to the newer website.
Use the deceased person’s complete name, year of death, and Iowa community. Obituaries may have appeared in newspapers covering Clayton, Allamakee, Fayette, Winneshiek, or nearby counties.
If you know the cemetery, contact its office or governing organization and ask whether a burial register or grave-location record is available.
If the obituary is unavailable and you need official confirmation for an administrative or legal purpose, consult Iowa Health and Human Services’ vital-record procedures.
Information worth collecting for an older obituary
- Full name, including maiden or former surnames.
- Approximate birth and death years.
- Last known town and county.
- Names of spouse, parents, or children.
- Possible funeral home or cemetery.
- Known church or community affiliation.
A relative’s obituary can also provide useful clues. A parent’s, spouse’s, or sibling’s notice may mention the person you are trying to locate.
How to Request an Official Iowa Death Certificate
An obituary and a death certificate serve different purposes. An obituary is a family or funeral-home announcement. A certified death certificate is an official government record that may be needed for estate administration, insurance, or other legal matters.
Iowa began official registration of deaths on July 1, 1880. Early records can be incomplete. Certified copies generally require an eligible relationship or other legally recognized entitlement.
Record search fee: $20, including a certified copy if the record is located. The search fee is not refundable if no matching record is found.
Mail-processing estimate: Approximately four to six weeks, according to Iowa HHS. This is an estimate rather than a guaranteed completion date.
Request a death certificate by mail
Go to the official certified vital-record request page.
Find the mail-request section and download the “Application for a Certified Copy of an Iowa Vital Record.” Print the form.
Provide the deceased person’s identifying information, your information, and the purpose of the request. Follow the form’s instructions for establishing entitlement.
Include a clear photocopy of current government-issued photo identification. The mail application must also be notarized.
For a mailed request, include the required $20 payment by check or money order payable to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Verify the current fee before sending.
Bureau of Health Statistics
Lucas State Office Building, 1st Floor
321 E. 12th Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0075
Other ordering options
Iowa also provides in-person ordering and ordering through VitalChek, its authorized third-party vendor. VitalChek orders involve additional service and, where applicable, shipping fees. Eligibility requirements still apply.
For older family-history research, see the Iowa HHS vital-record guidance. Death-record index searches for 1880–1895 require the county and year of death, with a separate search fee for each applicable county and year.
Sending Flowers, Condolences or Memorial Donations
If you want to support the family, begin by reading the complete obituary. Families sometimes request memorial contributions instead of flowers or announce specific instructions for remembrance.
- Open the person’s official obituary.
- Read the published memorial instructions.
- Check whether flowers or charitable donations are preferred.
- Confirm the correct chapel or service venue before arranging a delivery.
- If appropriate, contact Grau for guidance on sending a condolence message.
The funeral home’s former obituary website also describes an email-condolence service. Include the deceased person’s name and receiving family’s name if using that published method, and verify that it remains available before sending sensitive personal information.
Which Grau Funeral Home Should You Contact?
The appropriate chapel often depends on the obituary’s community or the funeral home named in the notice.
Schmitz-Grau
563-532-9424
Schutte-Grau
563-864-7252
Thornburg-Grau
563-873-3551
Burnham-Wood-Grau
563-422-3615
For general inquiries, call the Monona office at 563-539-2170. These location-based suggestions do not establish which funeral home handled a particular person’s arrangements; confirm that from the obituary or staff.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grau Funeral Home Obituaries
1. Where can I find the latest Grau Funeral Home obituaries?
Visit the official Grau Funeral Homes obituary directory. It publishes notices and life stories for families served by its Iowa locations.
2. How can I search Grau obituaries by last name?
Open the obituary directory and use its search feature. Start with the surname, then add the first name or hometown if needed.
3. Does Grau Funeral Home serve more than one Iowa city?
Yes. Its eight published locations are in Monona, Elkader, Elgin, Clermont, Postville, Ossian, McGregor, and West Union.
4. Where is the Grau Funeral Homes main office?
The main office is located at 500 W. Center Street, Monona, Iowa 52159. The telephone number is 563-539-2170.
5. Why can’t I find a recent obituary?
The notice may not have been published, the person may be listed under another name or town, or the family may have chosen a private announcement. Try alternate searches and ask Grau about publicly available information.
6. Can I find older Grau Funeral Home obituaries?
Yes. Browse older pages in the current obituary directory and review the former Grau obituary website. Historical newspapers and cemetery records can help with earlier deaths.
7. How do I check funeral and visitation times?
Open the individual’s complete obituary and locate the service announcement. Confirm the date, local time, and venue before traveling.
8. Can I send condolences or flowers?
Check the obituary for memorial instructions and the funeral home’s website for available options. Contact the assisting chapel when delivery arrangements are unclear.
9. Is a Grau obituary the same as a death certificate?
No. An obituary is a memorial notice, while a certified death certificate is an official vital record. Iowa HHS manages the state’s certified-record process.
10. How can I locate the cemetery mentioned in an obituary?
Look for “burial,” “interment,” or “cemetery” in the notice. If the burial site is not named, ask the funeral home whether that information is publicly available, then contact the cemetery for grave-location details.
Official Sources and Further Information
- Grau Funeral Homes Obituaries — Published death notices and individual life stories.
- Grau Funeral Homes Locations — Official chapel addresses and telephone numbers.
- Grau Contact Information — Main office, mailing address, and email.
- Former Grau Obituary Page — Legacy obituary and archive navigation.
- Iowa HHS Certified Records — Applications, identification requirements, fees, and ordering instructions.
- Iowa HHS Vital Records — Record availability, historical indexes, and eligibility information.
For a recent death notice, search Grau’s official obituary directory and open the complete life story. For funeral times, verify the exact service venue. For an older missing obituary, search archives and local records. If you need a legal death record, follow the Iowa HHS application process rather than relying on an obituary alone.
Information reviewed: October 17, 2026. This is an independent informational article and is not operated by Grau Funeral Homes or Iowa HHS. Obituary listings, service arrangements, fees, and processing procedures may change. Confirm time-sensitive details with the responsible organization.