DINNES, Mary 1924-2010

DINNES, FISTLER, SPURLIN

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 3/26/2015 at 14:05:06

Mary E. Dinnes, 86, of rural Eldora, passed away on Thursday, November 11, 2010 at the Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines of pancreatic cancer. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010 at 1:30 pm at the Ivester Church of the Brethren in Grundy Center with Pastor Arlen Daleske officiating. Interment will be held privately by the family immediately following the funeral service.

Mary was born on August 5, 1924, the daughter of Lee and Theresa (Spurlin) Fistler in Eldora, Iowa. She attended school in Whitten, graduating from Whitten High School in 1942. After graduating, Mary went on to the Marshalltown Business College and graduated with a two year business degree in 1944. Mary began her first job working as a secretary at Western Grocery in Marshalltown from 1944 to 1946.

Mary was united in marriage to John Dinnes on May 5, 1946 and the two made their home on the Dinnes family farm in SW Grundy County in the Ivester community. Mary and John welcomed four daughters. She was busy as a homemaker and farm wife until her children were well into high school. She then went back to work as a secretary for the Union-Whitten School district for 11 years.

Mary's main goal in life was to be a devoted wife and mother. She loved helping on the family farm and loved to be outside working in the yard and in her garden. She enjoyed being around the farm animals. She loved gardening, canning her vegetables from her garden and was an extraordinary cook. She was especially known for the pies that she baked. Mary was also an accomplished seamstress, making Western shirts for her husband John and making clothes for her daughters. One of Mary's favorite pastimes was quilting, an interest that she developed while helping her mother.

She was a long-time member of the Ivester Church of the Brethren, sang in the church choir and sang at many funerals not only for the Ivester Church, but for many other churches in the area, was a member of the Farm Bureau Women's Group, the Grundy County Extension Group, a member of the Iowa Quilters Guild, a charter member of the Hitchin' To Go Driving Club, a member of the Sunshine Club and a member of the Mid-Iowa Antique Power Association.

Mary will be greatly missed by her husband of 64 ½ years John Dinnes of rural Eldora; daughters Barbara Brekke of Loveland, CO, Dr. Norma Dinnes of rural Eldora, Mary Anderson of Marshalltown, IA and Phyllis (Steve) Gotta of Altoona, IA; 7 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren; brother-in-law Joe Rash of Union, IA.

She was preceded in death by her parents; step-father Ethymer Cox; sisters Virginia Martin and Patricia Rash; brother-in-law Fred Dinnes.

--Abels Funeral Homes (www.abelsfuneralhomes.com)

Grundy Obituaries maintained by Tammy D. Mount.
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