Dr. Carl Frederic "Fred" Erbe

1927 - 2020

Dr. Carl Frederic "Fred" Erbe

Iowa City - Dr. Carl Frederic "Fred" Erbe M.A., D.D.S., Ph.D, 93, longtime resident of the Iowa City area, passed away at his home in Coralville, on Friday, October 2, 2020.

Due to the restrictions of gatherings amidst COVID-19, a Celebration of Fred's life will be held at a future date. Fred chose to be cremated and will be buried in a private ceremony next to his wife Rita in St. Joseph Cemetery in Iowa City. Instead of flowers and plants, memorials may be directed to Compassus Hospice. Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City is handling arrangements.

He was born June 27, 1927 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the son of Carl & Amelia (Trygg) Erbe. Growing up in Cedar Falls, Fred graduated from Iowa State Teachers College High School in 1944. He enlisted in the US Army, serving in the Pacific Theater and Korea as an Infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander from 1945 to 1947. Returning to Cedar Falls, Fred enrolled at Iowa State Teachers College, majoring in social science with minors in biological science and mathematics. He received his B.A. degree in 1949, graduating with highest honors.

Following graduation in 1949, Fred enrolled in the College of Business Administration, Department of Labor and Industrial Management, at the University of Iowa, where he received an M.A. degree in Personnel Management in 1950. It was at this time that Fred was preparing to switch careers to dentistry but with the outbreak of the Korean War that summer, he was recalled to active duty. In 1952, Fred was again discharged from the Army and returned to the University of Iowa Department of Labor and Industrial Management where he received his Ph.D. in 1954. Fred spent the next year working for Investors Diversified Services in the area of establishing pension and profit-sharing programs for small businesses, as well as industrial corporations.

However, the disruption created by the Korean War, plus a strong interest in the profession of Dentistry, led Fred to return to the University of Iowa in 1956 to enter the College of Dentistry, graduating in 1960. Upon graduation, Fred purchased a dental practice in Kalona, Iowa, where he maintained a general dental practice until 1966.

In 1962, Fred joined the College of Dentistry as a part-time faculty member in the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology. In 1964, he assumed a full-time position in the department but retained his dental practice in Kalona until the advent of the collegiate Dental Service Plan in 1966 - serving in that capacity until 1973. Fred was appointed Assistant Dean for Extramural Affairs and served in that capacity until 1993 when he was appointed Associate Dean for Professional and Institutional Relations. Fred retired from the U of I Dental College in 1995.

Fred would readily state that the highlight of his life occurred in 1975 when the hand of fate brought about a chance meeting with Rita O'Brien Huber, a widow with three grown sons, Terry, Tim and Tom. Rita and Fred married July 23, 1976. Fred also had great memories of the dances at The Electric Ballroom, his love of Big Band music and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

The family would like to thank the Grand Living at Bridgewater staff of caregivers and Compassus Hospice for the wonderful care and love provided in Fred's final days.

Fred is survived by his sister, Lois Ann Hultgren of Davenport Iowa, step-children, Tim Huber and his wife Barb of Fruit Port, Michigan and Tom Huber and his wife Anna of Chicago, Illinois; daughter in law, Diane Huber of Alexandria, Virginia; grandchildren, Katherine (Kent) Duffie, Stephanie (Mark) Timperman, Kacey, Nathan and Andrea and great-grandchildren, Kyle, Sara, Zoe, Lilla, Owen, Mariah and Hannah.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Rita Huber Erbe, a step-son, Terry Huber and a brother in law, Carroll Hultgren.

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