JESSEN, Marion Janet 1918-2012
JESSEN, ARTHUR, LORENZ
Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 1/7/2013 at 17:24:25
[Waterloo Courier, Sunday, December 23, 2012]
Marion Jessen, 94, passed away Thursday, Dec. 20, 2012, at Lantern Park Nursing & Rehab Center, Coralville.
Marion Janet Jessen was born Dec.1, 1918, in Aberdeen, S.D., daughter of Wilhelmina "Minnie" and Ray Arthur. The family moved to Waterloo in 1919. She graduated from East High School in 1937. She attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls for 6 months. From September 1937 to May 1942, she taught in rural one room schools in Black Hawk County.
On July 12, 1942, she was united in marriage to Otto Jessen in Waterloo. Together they owned a dairy farm and operated a retail dairy route with Otto’s brothers. In 1951 they bought a farm on Hammond Avenue in Orange Township. From 1941-1955 she volunteered for the Red Cross, Parents Teachers and the American Cancer Society. In 1955, she helped establish the American Cancer Society in Black Hawk County and became its executive director. On July 1, 1962, she bought her own business, Personal Gifts Company, a wholesale mail order business selling paper party supplies to retailers across the United States. In 1965, she bought a card and party shop in downtown Waterloo which was named The Paper Tree. In 1970, she leased a card and gift shop at the Crossroads Mall in Waterloo. She closed both stores in 1974 and operated the gift shop from the same location as Personal Gifts Company at 3306 Midway Drive, Waterloo.
In 1982, Otto and Marion moved to Lancaster, Calif., to take care of her mother. They returned to Midway Drive in 1987 and moved to Mallard Point in Cedar Falls in November 1997. In 2007, she moved to Iowa City.
She was a member of the South Waterloo-Brethren Church, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia and the Danish Brotherhood. She was the family historian for many years and visited German-Russian relatives in Germany to study her family genealogy. She volunteered at a daycare center where she loved rocking the babies. Her joys were having family get-togethers, taking trips and helping others. She will always be remembered as a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Survivors include sons, Tom (Nyle) of Iowa City, Jerry (Karin) of Orem, Utah, and daughter, Lynet Lorenz (Randy) of Waterloo, seven grandchildren: Kristine Hallaway (Steve) of Edina, Minn., Dawn Pawluk (Michael) of Arlington, Va., Gail Jessen of Salt Lake City, Ryan Jessen of New Orleans, Matthew Jessen (Heather White) of Waterloo, Patrick Berry of Waterloo and Derrick Berry (Jodi) of Guatemala City, Guatemala and three great-grandchildren. Also surviving are brothers Gene (Pat) Arthur of Waterloo, Dr. Jim Arthur (Shirley) of Villa Park, Calif., Dick Arthur (Charlotte) of Foresthill, Calif., sister-in-law Helen Arthur of Tucson, Ariz., and nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband Otto, and brother Ralph.
A memorial service will be held at a later time.
Black Hawk Obituaries maintained by Karen De Groote.
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