Marian Morton

MORTON, GRADY, SMITH, TAMASI, NAGLER, KNOPF

Posted By: Mary Tamasi (email)
Date: 12/27/2021 at 19:09:51

Marian Morton, 87, died Monday, November 15, 2004 at the Taylor House at Des Moines. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Webster City, with Rev. John Flaherty, celebrant. Burial will be in the Calvary Cemetery.

A scripture service will be held at 7 p.m. today at the Foster Funeral and Cremation Center. Visitation will be at Fosters from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. today and at the church after 9 a.m. Saturday.

Marian Lucille Grady, daughter of Louis and Elizabeth Smith Grady, was born October 2, 1917 in Ruthven, IA. She received her education in Terrill. On December 13, 1941, she married John Murray Morton in Springfield, MO. The couple resided in Seattle, WA, California and various cities in Iowa, including Webster City. They were later divorced. She had been employed at the Fort Dodge Laboratory for 18 years, retiring in 1982.

Mrs. Morton is survived by daughters and sons-in-law, Judith and George Knopf and Mary and Bill Tamasi, all of Des Moines; grandchildren, Angela and Brad Tamasi of Des Moines, Kari Knopf of Iowa City and Jill Nagler of La Mirada, CA; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; daughter, Patricia Morton in 1961; sister, Marie Johnson; and brother, Louis Grady.

She was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church; she was elected president of the North Central Federation of Labor in 1976, the first woman in Iowa to hold such a post and was re-elected four times; she was very active in the Democratic Party, serving as delegate to the national convention and serving on the Hamilton County Democratic Central committee; she was invited to the White House twice on labor relations issues; she served on numerous civic boards, including the Iowa Children's and Family service board and the North Central Health Planning Council at Fort Dodge; she was also a strong supporter for the Webster County Law Enforcement Center; she was an avid bowler, a certified bowling instructor and participated in many national tournaments; she loved traveling the state and the country, watching her grandchildren participate in athletic events; she enjoyed playing cards and reading; and loved spending time with her friends and family.