Robert William Naden was born May 6, 1921 to William I. and Ruth E. Gardner Naden. He died Mar. 9, 2002 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Webster City, IA.
Robert served with the U.S. Navy in World War II. He trained for one year in Ottumwa, then went to Officers Candidate School in Notre Dame, IN. He received his commission May 1944, serving as engineering officer aboard landing ship, LST#920, spending ten months in the South Pacific.
Source: ancestry.com
His Obituary
Robert W. Naden, 80, Webster City, died Saturday, March 9, 2002 at Southfield Wellness Community in Webster City. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Asbury United Methodist Church, Webster City, with Rev. Mike Morgan and Cindi O’Brien, ministry assistant, officiating. Public burial will be in the Graceland Cemetery at 10:30 a.m. Visitation will be in the Foster Funeral Home from 5-9 p.m. Monday and until 10 a.m. Tuesday.
Robert William Naden, son of William and Ruth Gardner Naden, was born May 6, 1921, at Osage, at the home of his grandparents, Clara and William Gardner. At the age of 2, his family moved to Webster City. He attended Webster City Schools, graduating from Lincoln High School in 1939. He also attended Webster City Junior College and Iowa State College (University). He worked at the Naden and Sons Electric Scoreboard Company, which his father founded in 1935. On Nov. 8, 1942, he married Dorothy Russell at Webster City. Soon after their marriage, he was inducted into the U.S. Navy. He took his training for one year in Ottumwa then went to Officers Candidate School in Notre Dame, Ind. He received his commission in May or 1944 then served as engineering officer aboard a landing ship, LST #920 and spent ten months serving in the South Pacific. Following his discharge, he returned to Webster City and joined his father and brother in reopening Naden and Sons which had been closed during the war. The company name was changed to Naden Industries when they began making a line of aluminum boats. He had served as vice-president and president.
Mr. Naden is survived by his wife Dorothy; son and daughter-in-law, Russell and Sue Naden of Webster City; daughters and sons-in-law, Janet and Phil Wineland of Ponca, Neb.; Candace and John Myers of Englewood, Colo., Leah and Larry Hinderks of Webster City; 10 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; sister, Doris Coppola, Des Moines; sister-in-law, Lela Naden, Pocahontas; several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Charles Naden, during W. W. II in a plane crash in England; Gardner Naden in 1988 while on a trip to Russia; brother-in-law, Joseph Coppola.
Mr. Naden was elected to the Iowa Legislature, serving in the House of Representatives for five terms. He was the Majority Floor Leader of the House in 1926-62 and became Speaker of the House in 1963-64. He was elected to the Webster City City Council in 1967 and served until 1981. During this time he was elected mayor five times, 1971, 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1978. He was a member of Asbury United Methodist Church where he served as Chairman of the Administrative Board, lay leader, taught Sunday School and served in various other capacities of the church. His other memberships included a Mason in Acacia Lodge; Noon Kiwanis, serving as past president and past District Lt. Governor.
Source: Daily Freeman Journal, Webster City, IA - Mar. 22, 2002
