Duane H. Blobaum, 90, of Urbana died at 2 a.m. Friday, March 9, 2012, at Carle Foundation Hospital, Urbana. A memorial service for Duane will be held at St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 2200 South Philo Road, Urbana, on Saturday, March 17, 2012, at 2 p.m. Duane's family will be present for visiting at the church before the service, at 1:30 p.m., and also after the service. Additionally, a memorial service will be held at a later date in Fort Dodge, Iowa, in the Chapel at North Lawn Cemetery. Duane was born on October 4, 1921, to Matilda (Neuhaus) and Ernest Blobaum near Blue Hill, Nebraska. He attended grade schools in Nebraska, and graduated from high school in Dailey, Colorado, in 1939. To help support his family during the Great Depression, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps after graduation, working as a clerk for a CCC unit stationed near Estes Park, Colorado. During World War II, he served with the US Army in the South Pacific. Duane completed his undergraduate work at Concordia Lutheran College, Seward, Nebraska, in 1947, and received his Master's degree in Social Work from the University of Nebraska in 1950. On August 3, 1947, Duane married Aleta Feyerherm at Immanuel Lutheran Church near Beemer, Nebraska. Duane is survived by his wife, Aleta Blobaum, of Urbana; daughters Colleen (Glenn) Berman of Urbana and Dawn (Jim Bartl) Blobaum of Davidson, NC; sons Rev. Gary (Amy) Blobaum of Oregon, IL and Dean (Laurie Wardell) Blobaum of Oak Park, IL; grandchildren Ben Blobaum of Chicago, IL; Katie (Ben) Pieh of Montevideo, MN; David Blobaum and significant other Eva Addae of Jersey City, NJ; Micah Berman of Urbana; Sam and Sarah Blobaum of Oak Park, IL; and Neal Bartl of Davidson, NC; sisters Eleanor Bush of St. Louis, MO, and Delma (Loren) Fitzjohn of Sterling, CO, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, one sister, and a dear 3-month-old infant son, Kevin. After receiving his MSW, Duane was employed as a social worker for social services agencies in Lincoln, NE, Minneapolis, MN, and Addison, IL. In 1955, he assumed the challenging job of opening a branch office in Cedar Rapids for Lutheran Family Service of Iowa. In 1960, he and his family moved to Fort Dodge, IA, when Duane became the Executive Director of this agency; he continued in this position until his retirement in 1983. Duane always loved babies, and a particular pleasure of his work at LFS was holding babies just before they were given to their adoptive families. Duane realized a long-held dream by retiring in the warmer climate of Arizona, where he and Aleta lived in the small town of Douglas. As was the case wherever they lived, Duane and Aleta were always very active in leadership roles in their church. In Douglas, Duane recruited other church members to help in building homes for poor families living just across the border in Agua Prieta, Mexico; this was the beginning of what became known as the Ladrillo Project. Under his leadership, groups of willing workers came from across the US to help in building homes in Agua Prieta. In 1993, Duane and Aleta moved to Joplin, MO, to be closer to their children and grandchildren. Duane was attracted to Joplin because it was warm enough for him to play golf for most of the year. Duane also enjoyed carpentry, camping, travel-trailering, photography, and researching and writing an extensive history of the Blobaum family. Duane and Aleta moved to Urbana in 2005, as advancing Alzheimer's disease made his life more difficult. In 2008, Duane moved to the Champaign County Nursing Home, where Aleta visited him daily. He leaves many fond memories that will be cherished by Aleta, his children, grandchildren, and extended family, as well as the many people whose lives he impacted through his work, both professionally and personally. Memorials may be made to St. Matthew Lutheran Church, Urbana; Champaign County Nursing Home, Urbana; Lutheran Family Service, Fort Dodge, IA; or to Concordia University, Seward, NE, for the Duane and Aleta Blobaum Family Scholarship Fund.