Ashland, Mary Lou 1920 - 2010

ASHLAND, GALLAGHER, FREUDENBERG

Posted By: Pat Ludeke (email)
Date: 5/22/2013 at 23:50:37

Mary Lou Ashland, 89, of Mason City, Iowa died Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010 at the
I.O.O.F. Home, Mason City, Iowa.

Funeral Mass will be 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 11, at St. Joseph Catholic Church,
Mason City, with the Rev. Craig Steimel officiating. Visitation will be
Wednesday from 5-7 p.m. at the Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, Mason City
with a scriptural wake service 6:30 p.m. Interment will be in the Clear Lake
Cemetery.

Mary Lou was born May 25, 1920 in Rockwell, Iowa the third oldest child in a
family of 11, the daughter of George and Katherine (Gallagher) Freudenberg. She
attended country school before enrolling at St. Joseph when the family moved to
Mason City.

Mary Lou was a top rate student and won spelling bees across the district and
played an instrument in band. She graduated at age 17 from St. Joseph High
School in 1937 and then enrolled in Teachers College, Cedar Falls, Iowa. She
taught country school at a nearby township to Mason City.

She married Albert Ashland on Sept 14, 1940 in Zwingle, Iowa. They lived in
Clear Lake during their married life. She was a proud mother of seven children.
She managed the Farmers Dairy in Clear Lake for a number of years, before
resuming teaching at Holy Family Elementary from 1963-1970. She then worked for
the State of Iowa Human Services.

Her children always saw her as a working mother, juggling the needs of a family
of nine and employment outside the home.

Mary Lou loved to play cards and have a house full of family and friends. She
enjoyed listening to music and loved to laugh. She especially enjoyed spending
time with her family. She was a member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Mason
City, Catholic Daughters, and Ladies Auxiliary V.F.W.

Mary Lou is survived by her four children, Brenda Heinz and her husband, Jeff,
Mason City, Rosemary Norlin, Ames, Iowa, Janice Ashland and her husband, Garry
MacNeill, Moorpark, Calif., and Keith Ashland, Mason City; ten grandchildren,
Scott Schroeder and his wife, Melissa, Stephanie Schroeder and her husband,
Patrick Freet, Lance Ashland, Joel Heinz and his wife, Mindy, Jonathan Heinz and
his wife, Ashley, Robb Heinz, Meagan Norlin, Katie Norlin, Gabrielle MacNeill
and Madison MacNeill; five great-grandchildren; son-in-law, Larry Schroeder and
his wife, Karen, Clear Lake; brother, Gerald Freudenberg and his wife, Margie,
Henderson, Nev.; and three sisters, Patricia Bamrick and her husband, Richard,
Long Beach, Calif., Betty Meyer, Pasadena, Calif. and Ruth Ann Derouin, Dubuque,
Iowa.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Albert; daughter, Karen
Schroeder; two sons, Jerry and Larry Ashland; two sisters, Janice Dowd and Marge
Burns; two brothers, George and Bill Freudenberg; grandson, Brent Ashland; and
son-in-law, Mark Norlin.

Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, Mason City, was in charge of arrangements.