Carla Offenburger, an MVP kind of Iowa citizen from rural Cooper in Greene County, died at home on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at the age of 62 after a 12-year-long “dance with cancer,” as she often described it.
She gave the incurable adenoid cystic carcinoma a real challenge, one that hopefully will help ACC patients and medical personnel in the future.
Carla was a native of Des Moines, born on Jan. 14, 1959, to Carl W. and Wilma Sue Burt. She graduated from Des Moines Lincoln High School, in business from Simpson College, and earned a master’s degree in literature from Iowa State University. She taught for 10 years at Iowa State, Simpson, Buena Vista University and Upper Iowa University. She was a tough, effective mentor for dozens of her students and other young people. But her favorite teaching experience was probably showing her three granddaughters how to prepare fancy meals and bake excellent pies.