PRIEST, Fern Irene (ALLARD)

ALLARD, PRIEST, DOBSON, GRIFFIN, CONN, MINSSEN, BURKUM, VEENSTRA, FOLKERS, STEGEMAN

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 3/30/2015 at 15:03:18

Obituary ~ Fern Irene (Allard) Priest
April 28, 1925 - November 17, 2014

The Leon Journal-Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa

Fern Irene (Allard) Priest was born April 28, 1925, in Leon, Iowa, the daughter of Charles Edgar and Winnie Kathleen (Dobson) Allard. She died on November 17, 2014, at the Caring Acres Nursing and Rehab Center in Anita, Iowa. Fern resided at the nursing home for three weeks.

Fern lived in the Leon area until marrying the love of her life, Carl Floyd Priest on October 11, 1941, in Princeton, Missouri. Carl and Fern were married for 55 years at the time of Carl's death. They shared many passions together, the most important was their family.

Carl and Fern farmed together their entire married life. The house they made a home for 24 years was North of Villisca, Iowa. Fern enjoyed gardening and cooking, where she passed that love onto a few of her grandchildren. In the summer time, Fern shared her time with Carl and other family members fishing and camping. She loved animals and was even known to rescue calves and pigs, taking them in from the cold and putting them under a heat lamp.

Fern was a member of the Morton Mills Methodist Church and worked at the Red Oak Public Library.

Preceding her in death were her parents, husband Carl in 1996, sister Katherine Griffin in 2006, son Carl Lee in 2008.

Left to cherish her memory are daughters Karen (Burt) Conn and Sherry (David) Minssen; grandchildren Richard (Tina) Priest, Tammy (Robert) Priest, Randy (Leann) Priest, Barb (Jeremy) Burkum, Joan Veenstra, Teresa Priest, Judy (Brian) Folkers, Sarah (Kenny) Stegeman, fifteen great grandchildren and six great great grandchildren; brother Jim Allard, daughter-in-law Ruth Priest, other relatives and friends.

Memorial services were conducted at 10 a.m. on Thursday, November 20, 2014, at Slade-O'Donnell Funeral Home, Leon, Iowa, with Dick Priest officiating. Interment was made at Tingley Cemetery, Tingley, Iowa.

Slade-O'Donnel Funeral Home of Leon was in charge of arrangements.

Transcription by Sara Rose Joan LeFleur