Eric Lee Zehr

Eric Lee Zehr, 61, of Oskaloosa and formerly of Victor, Iowa, died Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at the MHP Hospice Serenity House in Oskaloosa. He was born on December 10, 1963, in Manchester, Iowa, the son of Richard and Dorothy (Elam) Zehr. He graduated from West Delaware High School in Manchester with the class of 1982. He went on to earn his Associate's Degree in animal science from Hawkeye Technical College. On October 5, 1985, he was united in marriage to Nyla VanRoekel. To this union, three children were born: Benjamin, Nicholas, and Margaret.
Throughout his early years, Eric was active in 4-H, FFA, Junior Achievement and a church youth group. Eric had an entrepreneurial and adventurous spirit that guided his career path. He was always a dreamer. After college, he worked on a ranch in Wyoming, tending to livestock and helping in the haying operations, much to his allergies' dismay. After returning to the Manchester area, he raised sheep. Having sold Morton buildings, it is likely Eric pointed out nearly every Morton building in Iowa to his children while driving on their many family jaunts, as he took great pride in all of his work. He later owned and operated appliance sales and repair businesses. He took immense satisfaction in assisting communities all across Iowa with appliance service. On January 10, 2022, he was united in marriage to Sherry VerPloeg in Oskaloosa. Together, they had adventures traveling to obscure places, preparing new food dishes for each other and quilting. He also enjoyed woodworking, observing the grass turn green in the spring, gardening, canning, cooking, and leather crafting. His greatest joy were his children and grandsons. He spoke about them with great love and pride.
In 2024, when Eric learned of his cancer diagnosis, his true spirit of determination and selflessness was very clear. As he progressed through his treatment, he had two objectives: the first was to beat the cancer into remission and to that goal he fought tirelessly, and the second, of which he was adamant, was that his care team gather as much information as possible for the advancement of finding a cure, for the next person. He will be remembered for his kindness and selflessness.
His family includes his wife, Sherry Zehr of Oskaloosa; their families, Benjamin and Taylor Zehr of Keswick, Iowa, Nicholas and Katherine Zehr of Little Rock, Arkansas, Margaret Zehr (Nate Poe) of Montezuma, Iowa, James and Kara Albright of Omaha, Nebraska, Erin and Christopher Poulsen of Waukee, Iowa; grandchildren, Ty and Tate Zehr and Charles and Henry Albright, and a grandchild on the way; his parents, Richard and Dorothy Zehr of Manchester; a sister, Dana (Curtis) McMurrin of Manchester; a brother, Christian (Angela) Zehr of Manchester; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents and a sister in infancy, Lynn Zehr.
As was Eric's wish, his body has been cremated. The funeral will be held a 10:00AM on Saturday, August 9, 2025 at the Manchester Methodist Church in Manchester, IA. Interment will follow at the Oakland Cemetary, also in Manchester. The family invites you to join them for a time of fellowship and a luncheon at the church following the interment. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.