Mary Catherine (Noesges) Hirsch 1924-2015

HIRSCH, NOESGES, GASMAN, BURKE, HILL, SLADE, LATHAM, EHRLICH

Posted By: cheryl Locher moonen (email)
Date: 11/7/2019 at 16:05:00

Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, IA) - Thursday, November 26, 2015

Mary Catherine Hirsch, age 91, of Dubuque, IA, passed away peacefully at 8:02 p.m. on Friday, November 20, 2015, at Stonehill Care Center, surrounded by her loving family.

To honor Mary's life, funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 28, 2015, at the Church of the Nativity, 1225 Alta Vista Street, with Rev. Msgr. James L. Miller officiating. The Nativity Rosary Society will begin their service at 10:30 a.m. at the church on Saturday. To celebrate Mary's life, family and friends may visit from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 27, 2015, at Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, where there will be a parish scripture wake service held at 7:00 p.m. Burial will be in Mt. Calvary Cemetery.

Mary was born on January 8, 1924, in Dubuque, Iowa, daughter of John and Catherine (Gassman) Noesges.

Mary was united in marriage to Clarence Hirsch on June 1, 1946, at Holy Ghost Church in Dubuque. They were blessed with 32 years together before he preceded her in death on April 14, 1979.

Mary was truly a loving wife, mother and grandmother who took great pride in caring for her family and home. She also worked outside of the home at Jack's Chicken Palace for 20 years and developed wonderful relationships with all of her co-workers and regular customers. Mary was an absolutely marvelous seamstress who generously shared her talents by making ornate clothing for her family, vestments for local clergy, but her most treasured accomplishments were the creation of beautiful wedding and bridesmaid dresses for her family and friends.

In her younger years, Mary was recognized to be quite a naturally gifted singer, guitarist and yodeler who was very well known for her famous rendition of "I Want to be a Cowboy's Sweetheart." Her stage persona was "Kay Kody" with the KDTH Barn Dance radio broadcast at Melody Mill when she was yet an eager teenager.

Mary always carried within her an adventurous spirit which could easily be entertained with a good ride on a Harley Davidson "Motorcacle" or an amazing evening watching Neil Diamond perform before her live on stage. Mary was a very active woman throughout her entire life who graciously volunteered at the Church of the Nativity with both the Rosary Society and helping with weekly collections. Mary was very creative and over the years spent countless hours working on an abundance of different craft and crochet projects. She was a joyfully enthusiastic social butterfly who treasured any opportunity to get involved in a good game of cards, an exciting round of bingo or a competitive session of dominoes with family and friends. One of Mary's guilty pleasures, when she actually had a little free time to indulge on herself, was to relax and watch a competitive round of figure skating.

Mary didn't waste one minute of her 91 years here with us; whether entertaining others, nurturing those she loved or simply bringing joy to someone who walked into her day. Mary gracefully made the most of every moment, gift and talent. She's now reunited with the love of her life, Clarence, and resting safely and securely in the arms of her Lord. The memories Mary leaves behind will slowly help heal the wounded hearts of all who knew and loved her.

Mary is survived by her children, Gary (Lynn) Hirsch, Bettendorf, IA, Dyan Burke, Dubuque, IA, and Donna Slade, Dubuque, IA; her grandchildren, Nealie (Bryce) Hill, Rock Island, IL, Kelly Latham, Denver, CO, Brandon (Shauna) Burke, Murrieta, CA, and Roger (Savanna William) Slade, Cedar Rapids, IA; her great-grandchildren, Eli and Lydia Hill, Addison and Derek Burke and Anna and James Latham; a brother, Harold Noesges, Dubuque, IA; a niece, Rose Ann Noesges, Westlake, OH; a sister-in-law, Ceceilia "Ceil" Hirsch, Dubuque, IA; and many other nieces and nephews.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Clarence Hirsch; a sister, Celeste (Carl) Ehrlich; and a sister-in-law, Rose Marie Noesges.

A Mary C. Hirsch memorial fund has been established which will be donated to Mary's favorite charities.

Mary's family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Dr. Kirkendall and his nurse, Kate, the staff and her friends at The Rose, Open Arms and the nurses and staff of Stonehill Care Center and Hospice of Dubuque, especially Megan, for all of their loving and compassionate care.

Online condolences may be left for the family at behr funeralhome.com.