Maxine Elizabeth (Muller) Fetzer, 14 Apr 1922 - 12 Dec 2019

FETZER, MULLER, SPECK, SMITH, WALKER, STEVENSON, SCHWALBE, MARTIN, NICKESON

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 12/26/2019 at 14:40:24

Maxine Elizabeth Muller Fetzer, 97, of Newton, and formerly of Victor, died on Thursday, December 12, 2019, at MercyOne Newton Medical Center, Newton, Iowa.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Monday, December 23rd, at the Victor Baptist Church. Burial will be in the Victor Memorial Cemetery.

Visitation with the family present will be held one hour prior to her service at the church.

Memorial contributions in Maxine’s memory may be designated to the Victor Baptist Church.

Maxine was born April 14, 1922 in Victor to Herman and Emma Speck Muller. She had a brother already 9 years old, Harland and would have a sister in two years, Dorothy. She lived close to the downtown stores in Victor and remembers the play house her dad made for her in the back yard. She remembers going to church on snowy days in a sleigh drawn by a horse. Her dad farmed and had a trucking business. She also remembers picnics with friends on the farm land and her mother feeding harvesters at their home. Maxine attended Victor schools and played basketball in high school.

After graduation from high school, Maxine went to business school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa then worked there at the Chamber of Commerce. She married Russell Michael Fetzer,, her high school sweetheart, in 1943 and started a family a year later. Russell helped run the grocery store and locker his dad started before he passed away the end of Russell’s senior year in college. Later Russell ran the locker business and Maxine many times wrapped meat for the business. They had three children; Douglas George, Donna Jo and James Roger.

Maxine enjoyed sewing, attending her children and grandchildren’s events, attending and serving at Victor Baptist Church, a social “Club” (8 couples in Victor) and in later years- golf and travelling. Russell was an avid hunter so Maxine enjoyed the new friendships that included, the dogs in the back yard, and time to spend with “the girls” (her life-long friends). Maxine and Russ made one memorable trip overseas to the home of their ancestors, Germany. They traveled with friends on golf trips in the south and east enough times that they developed nicknames; Russ was Fred, Maxine was Wilma, the other couple were Barney and Betty. Their family vacations became traditions; when the kids were young a lake in Minnesota with several other families from Victor renting cabins also, then when the kids were older and even married with grandkids and great grandkids, they and then she took them to Osage Beach in Missouri at the Golden Door Motel.

Russell passed away in 1985. Since then Maxine kept busy with children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, golf, southwest U.S. trips, Hawkeye girls’ basketball, church, genealogy, yard work, farm business, neighborhood visiting and all the people involved with those activities. She has been blessed with a town and life full of loving people. Maxine’s family has always been her priority and joy as she is to them. Her faith has always been important and she is thankful to God for having parents that introduced her to her Lord and Savior early and a church family that helped her grow in faith and knowledge of her Lord Jesus Christ.

Maxine lived at home in Victor until 2017 when a fractured arm took her to Nelson Manor Nursing Home. The decline in health has been met with wit, a smile and joy in her heart although she continued to ask about going home.

Those left to honor Maxine’s memory are her children; Douglas (Maryellen) Fetzer of Naperville, Illinois, Donna Jo (Ken) Smith of Newton, Iowa and James (Connie) Fetzer of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Grandchildren; Troy Smith, Kimberly (Shane) Walker, Jennifer (Darren) Stevenson, Tamara Fetzer, Fallon (Chase) Schwalbe, and Molly (Adam) Martin; great grandchildren Hannah, Malee, James, John, Fenly, Freya, Crew, Arianna, Elias and Raelyn; seven nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Dorothy Nickeson, her brother Harland Muller, four sisters-in-law, three brothers-in-law, one nephew, and one grandchild.

Published in The Hometown Current on December 25, 2019. An abbreviated version published in The Gazette on December 18, 2019