Norbert Wilfred Box, age 84, died at the home he built for his family on Thursday evening, September 24, 2026. There was always an open-door policy at the farm, and in the days leading up to his death, there was constant noise as his family gathered from near and far to bid our farewells to the Box Family Patriarch. He will be remembered with so much love by “the herd.”
Norbert was born on August 18, 1942 to Lawrence and Agnes (Holtkamp) Box and lived his early life on a farm north of Houghton, IA, where he grew up with his five siblings: Dorothy, Marcella, Edward, Adrian, and Eileen. He attended and graduated from St. John’s Catholic School in Houghton and then pursued his college education, first attending Burlington Community College. He eventually graduated from Iowa State University with a Civil Engineering degree, an accomplishment he was always very proud of, Go Cyclones! After graduation, he began his career at Smith Engineering and Associates in Burlington, IA. Engineering was an important piece of what “made” Norbert who he was and problem solving through math was always a skill that came naturally to him. He was proud of his projects and would tell stories about his work on regional airports, J.I. Case, Joyce Park, Mount Pleasant Utilities, and the Nauvoo Temple, to name a few. His children recall that some of their best memories were made while being the “stick holder” for Norbert while he was surveying. He was a member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and a fifty two year member of the Houghton Knights of Columbus.
Norbert and Karen knew of each other for most of their lives, but connected at a wedding they both attended, and after some persistent attempts to take her on a date, Karen Kaltefleiter agreed. A few short years later, they were married on December 2, 1967, at St. Mary’s of the Assumption Church in West Point, IA. This year would have marked 59 years of marriage. The coined phrase at their 50th wedding celebration was, “It’s been heaven since ’67!” Especially in the last few years, both expressed clearly and often how grateful they both were to have married each other. Norbert and Karen lived by Houghton, where they began raising their four boys. In 1978, they purchased his uncle Joe’s farm ground, where they began building their home and the two girls came along soon after that. The Box Family Farms is a centennial farm which was established in 1904.
Norbert lived with an undeniable work ethic, and he was known as the man who could fix anything. He spent countless hours working in the machine shed, planting and harvesting in the fields, and building and fixing things at home, often with his boys by his side. Karen would tell people, “Those Box men can fix or build anything themselves, but you have to be patient enough for them to finish it their way.” Precision in craftsmanship was always something Norbert’s work was marked by. All his life, he was involved with farming in some shape or form, and at his core, he will be known as a Farmer: the job he enjoyed doing until his final years. Many family memories and holidays were celebrated “at the Farm,” where they gathered often.
After raising their six children, the grandkids came, and Norbert said, “If I knew grandkids were so much fun, we would’ve had them first!” Norbert loved to ask them about what they were learning at school, being particularly interested in the math courses, but he would always remind them that, in all his years of engineering, he never needed to use calculus at his job. While the seasonal demands of farming often kept him close to home, and he best enjoyed being at the farm, he’d always make a point to travel to and show up for all the major events of his kids and grandkids’ lives. Norbert was an exceptional dad and grandpa and made each of his kids and grandkids feel deeply cared for, and notably loved to celebrate with Dairy Queen instilling within them all a great appreciation for ice cream. Crawdads are very special in those ways.
For as long as he can be remembered, there hangs a sign on a prominent wall in Norbert and Karens’s home that reads, “All Because Two People Fell in Love…” Underneath it hang photos of each of their six kids’ families, with a photo of them all together in the center. Norbert’s legacy will be remembered here on earth by his large family: son Brian (Julie) Box of Oskaloosa and grandchildren Kassidy (Rex) Smart & Kyler Box; son Daren (Beth) Box of Nebraska City and grandchildren Eric (Ania), Laura, Renee, & Jenna; son Kevin (Meagan) Box of Mediapolis and grandchildren Clara, Wyatt, & Katie; son Brad (Angie) Box of West Point and grandchildren Emily (Noah), Kayla, & Nathan; daughter Tracy (Shaun) Blythe of Mt. Pleasant and grandchildren Dylan & Dalton (Lillie); and daughter Trisha (Ryan) Lake of Wever and grandchildren Ellie & Kara. Also surviving are two sisters: Marcella Holtkamp and Eileen (Dave) Pranger; several nieces and nephews.
Grandpa Norbert was the proud great-grandfather of baby Rennick Smart and two special boys who have been adopted into our hearts and will join the family in an official capacity someday soon.
Norbert was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings: Adrian, Edward, and Dorothy Holtkamp; his brothers-in-law: Adrian and Dennis Holtkamp; sisters-in-law: Sally and Carol Box; and granddaughter: Renee Box; father and mother in-law: Leonard and Mary Margaret Kaltefleiter; and brother-in-law: Duane Kaltefleiter. We pray he has been welcomed into heaven by their familiar and loving embraces.
A visitation will be held from 12:00 noon to 7:00 p.m. Friday, October 2, 2026 at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point where the family will receive friends from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A Knights of Columbus rosary will be recited at 4:00 p.m. and a Christian wake service will be held at 6:00 p.m.
A Mass of Christian burial will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 3, 2026, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in West Point with Father Dan Dorau as celebrant. Norbert was a member of St. Mary’s Church in West Point and the Houghton Knights of Columbus for 52 years.
Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Point.
In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established in his memory for Calvary Cemetery or Southeast Iowa Regional Home Health and Hospice.
Schmitz Funeral Home of West Point is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.schmitzfuneralhomes.com.
