PHALEN, Timothy Richard "Tim"

PHALEN, COWAN, EHLERS, SIMON, DELPERDANG, RASMUSSON, PAULSON

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 9/21/2016 at 15:02:57

Obituary ~ Timothy Richard "Tim" Phalen
April 23, 1929 ~ August 17, 2005

The Globe Gazette
Mason City, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa
August 19, 2005

Mason City - Timothy R. Phalen, 76, of 821 2nd Street SE, Mason City, died Wednesday, August 17, 2005, at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit, Mason City, after a long battle of Parkinson’s and heart disease and complications due to chronic renal failure.

A funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 AM Monday, August 22, 2005, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 302 5th Street SE, Mason City, with Father Harry H. Koelker officiating. Internment will be at the Elmwood- St. Joseph Cemetery, with full military honors conducted by members of Mason City Veteran’s Memorial Association.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 PM Sunday, August 21, 2005, at Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 Third Street NE, Mason City, with a scripture wake service at 6:00 PM.

Memorials may be given to Hospice of North Iowa, which will be used to maintain and fill bird feeders at the Inpatient Unit, and to the MacNider Art Museum.

Timothy Richard Phalen was born on April 23, 1929 in Mason City, Iowa. He is the son of Timothy and Nina (Cowan) Phalen. He attended St. Joseph Catholic School through 8th grade, and graduated from Mason City High School. He then attended Mason City Junior College. He was inducted in the United States Air Force in the 727th A.C. &W. Squadron. He was a Tactical Radar Technician, serving in Texas, Massachusetts, New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Mississippi. He was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant. While in the Air Force he learned to fly a small aircraft, soloing in 1954 in Coonemesett, MA. He always had a passion for airplanes and as a youth was involved with flying model airplanes, attending the nationals in Kansas and Minnesota. Upon leaving the Air Force, Tim joined the family business at Phalen Cleaners, until his retirement 36 years later in 1991.

Tim married Mary Lou Ehlers on August 13, 1954, and they had three children, David, Judy, and Cynthia. Later he was united in marriage to Jacque Simon on December 12, 2002.

Tim was an active lifetime member of the St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Many will remember him as a local artist who brought his love of the out-of-doors to the canvas. He was very active in the North Iowa Artist League. He attended many art festivals and had numerous one-man shows. His interest in art led to him to be a docent at the MacNider Art Museum for 7-8 years and where he also conducted several art classes. He also enjoyed designing and painting sets for the Stebens Children’s Theatre and the Mason City Community Theatre.

Tim was an avid bird watcher. For years he would make weekly treks around the area with fellow birders, seeking out their feathered friends. He was a member of the North Iowa Nature Club and Lime Creek Nature Center, where he did various volunteer projects.

Those who knew Tim remember him as an extremely active person. He was in a bowling league, square dance club, and almost always was reading a book or working on a crossword puzzle. The out-doors man in him enjoyed camping with his family all over the U.S.; downhill and cross-country skiing in Colorado, Minnesota, and Iowa; biking the area trails, and participating in three RAGBRAI’s; playing tennis and golf; and traveling forty states, Canada, France, Holland, and Belgium. He also enjoyed the water on sailboats, canoes, kayaks, and iceboats. He and his family also crewed on a three-masted schooner in Maine.

Music was an important part of Tim’s life. He loved jazz and easy listening. He also spent many evenings at the Surf, dancing to the tunes of the big bands.

He will be greatly missed by his wife Jacque Simon, Mason City; Mary Lou Phalen, Mason City, and their three children, David Phalen and his wife Jane, Clear Lake; Judy Delperdang and husband Dave, Clear Lake; and Cynthia Rasmusson and her husband Mark, Clear Lake; seven grandchildren, Christopher, Anna, Emily, Geoffrey, Tim, Michelle, and Kyle; and a sister Jean Paulson and her husband Bob, Mason City.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Nina and Tim, a brother, Dan, and a sister, Colleen.

Hogan Bremer Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd St NE, Mason City: 641-423-2372

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, September of 2016