Johannes Bunz was born in Reher, Schleswig Holstein, Germany on January 25, 1906. He was trained to be a master blacksmith in Germany, completing his training in March, 1928 in Altona, Germany. While in Germany, he became engaged to Auguste Viktoria Kölln. Auguste was born on the island of Pellworm, which is located in the North Sea off of the Northwestern coast of Germany.
Because of depressed economic conditions in Germany, Johannes decided to immigrate to the United States of America. After arriving in the United States in 1928, he worked for a short time in Nebraska and in Schleswig, Iowa as a blacksmith. In January of 1930, he purchased the assets of a blacksmith shop in Manning, Iowa from Thomas Arnold. Johannes was the first paying client of Attorney Erwin H. Hansen. Johannes' son, Claus H. Bunz, later became the law partner of Attorney Hansen.
Johannes opened his blacksmith shop in Manning, Iowa in a wood frame shed that stood south of and adjacent to the alley, which is south of the brick tile building located on Second Street that was originally built by Priebe and Sons. He operated his business there from 1930 until 1933 when he moved to a second building located south of Second Street and south of the same alley his original building was located on. This second location is now a green space south of the Manning Child Care Center and the Caleris facility. He remained in this location until 1951, when he moved to a new building he built along Highway 141 on a site which is now occupied by Rix AMOCO.
His business began by shoeing horses and repairing farm and other equipment. Often, he would walk miles to farms to shoe horses. As tractors replaced horses, he expanded his business to include lines of farm machinery. New Idea was his first line, to which he later added the Oliver and International Harvester lines.
Because the United States was still feeling the effects of the Great Depression at the time Johannes began working in this country, it took him four years to establish that he could support his bride, Auguste. In 1933, he was finally able to make arrangements to bring her to the United States and to Iowa. She was the first woman to fly in an airplane from the island of Pellworm, Germany to the German mainland. She made her way by herself across the Atlantic Ocean by ship and than by train from New York to Carroll, Iowa, without being able to speak a word of English.
She and Johannes were married in 1933 and made their home in Manning, Iowa. Johannes passed away in December 1993 and Auguste passed away in December, 2000.
Auguste and Johannes had two children, Claus, a lawyer, of Clive, Iowa and Elke, an educator, of Clive, Iowa and formerly of San Luis Obispo, California. Elke passed away in February, 2004. Elke was formerly married to Arthur Durate. They had one son, Bryce, who preceded Elke in death.
Claus H. Bunz, son of Johannes and Augusta (Kolln) Bunz was born February 9, 1935 and raised in Manning, Iowa. After graduating from Manning High School in 1953, he graduated from Iowa State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering in 1957. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant through the Army Reserve Officers Training Corp. program upon graduating from Iowa State University. Upon graduating from Iowa State University, Claus was employed as a patent examiner by the United States Patent Office in Washington, DC until March 1958, at which time he went on active duty with the United States Army as an artillery officer until September 1958. Thereafter, he enrolled in Law School at the University of Iowa, graduating with the degree of Juris Doctor in June 1961.
While attending Law School, Claus became engaged to Judith Ann Kreft of Lytton, Iowa, the daughter of Frank and Roberta Kreft who was working as medical technologist in Iowa City, Iowa. She previously attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa. They were married in October 1961 at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in rural Sac County, Iowa.
Claus graduated from law school in 1961, he and Judith resided in Denison, Iowa where he practiced with the law firm of Powers and Reimer and Judith worked as a medical technologist at Crawford County Memorial Hospital. In 1964, Claus and Judith moved to Manning, Iowa where he joined the law firm of Erwin H. Hansen. This firm is now known as Bunz and Gaffney.
Judith and Claus purchased and developed 40 acres of land in the southern part of Manning, Iowa, for residential purposes, which became known as Bunz Addition.
Judith has been a member of Manning Women's Club, Zion Lutheran Church Sunday school and Catechism teacher, a member of Zion Ladies Guild, and a board member of Quakerdale Western Iowa Development Council.
Judith and Claus have three children, Sara, born June 22, 1963, John, born July 12, 1965 and Anne, born September 8, 1968. Sara graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 1985 with a Bachelor's degree in music. In 2001 she received her Master's degree in education from Lesley College in Tacoma, Washington. She presently teaches vocal music and is a choir director in Bremerton, Washington. John graduated from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa with a Bachelor's degree majoring in economics and business management in 1987. In 1990 John received his Juris Doctor degree in law from Drake University. John is a partner in the law firm of Ahlers and Cooney in Des Moines, Iowa. Anne attended Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa and received her Bachelor's degree in social work from Luther College in 1990. In 1995, she received her Master's degree in public administration from Drake University. Sara is married to Reverend Jeffrey Pulse, the senior pastor at Peace Lutheran Church in Bremerton, Washington and live in that community. They have three children, Nathaniel, born in 1988, Jonathan, born in 1991 and Mikal Soo, born in 1992. John is married to Susan Hansen and they reside in Clive, Iowa. Susan is an attorney with Pioneer Hybrids in Des Moines. They have three children, Samuel, born in 1992, Ellen, born in 1995 and Emma, born in 2001. Anne is married to Matthew Sheeley, an attorney with the Iowa Public Defender's office. They have two children, Maille, born 2001 and William, born in 2004. Anne is the assistant court administrator for the Fifth Judicial District of Iowa.
Claus retired from the practice of law in April 2004. He and Judith now reside in Clive, Iowa.
After being admitted to the Iowa Bar in 1961, Claus practiced law with the law firm of Powers and Reimer in Denison, Iowa. In the latter part of 1963, he joined the law firm of Erwin H. Hansen in Manning, Iowa. They subsequently formed the law firm of Hansen and Bunz. Thereafter, John Mugan joined the firm and it then became known as Hansen, Bunz and Mugan. John Mugan left the firm to join a firm in Sioux City, Iowa and Thomas Jacobsen then joined the firm. Thomas Jacobsen later joined a law firm in Rochester, Minnesota. The firm then again became known as Hansen and Bunz and then as the Bunz Law Firm. Robert T. Gaffney joined the firm in 1996 and the firm then became known as Bunz and Gaffney. Claus retired from the practice of law in Manning in April 2005.
Claus was active in many local and regional activities and organizations. He was a member of the Carroll County, Iowa and American Bar Associations, a Fellow of the Iowa State Bar Association and a Fellow of American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. He served several Iowa State Bar Association organizations, including the Probate and Trust Law Council, the Committee on Membership Involvement, the Committee on Specialization, of which he was a chairperson, the Real Estate and Title Law Section, the Legal Forms Committee and the Legislative Subcommittee of the Real Estate and Title Law Section. In 2002 he received the Community Service Award from the Iowa State Bar Association.
