Barbara Katherine (Mall) Marquardt (2022)

FALLERT, HURAL, LITSCHEL, MALL, MARQUARDT, MONTGOMERY

Posted By: Shirley Keating
Date: 11/8/2023 at 18:03:14

Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
January 19, 2022

Barbara Marquardt

Barbara Katherine (Mall) Marquardt was born in Philadelphia, Penn., on Nov. 4, 1936, to Erwin and Katherine (Hural) Mall. Her family moved around due to her father’s job, and by high school lived in Farmville, NC, where she graduated. After high school , she attended nurse’s training in nearby Rocky Mount. Barbara then moved to Des Moines to be closer to family, and entered the nursing program at Broadlawns.

Barbara’s brother, Ed, introduced her to friend of his from Iowa State who became the love of her life. Barb and Lyle Marquardt were married on August 25, 1961, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Des Moines. After their honeymoon they lived in Fort Sill, Okla., while Lyle served in the Army. They returned to Iowa and moved to Earlham in 1967. Barbara worked at Iowa Methodist Hospital and after leaving the hospital she worked as a family practice nurse for Dr. Weigel in Van Meter. She and Lyle adopted their daughter, in 1969, and in 1972, they adopted a son, Eric, to complete their family. Barb took a part time position with Van Meter Schools as a school nurse. She was an active member of the Earlham community, serving in various groups and committees, including her role as Centennial Committee Secretary. She served as scout leader, and was involved in the music boosters, taking an active role in the creation of the annual Jack Oats Festival. She worked for the Winterset Madisonian as editor for the dedicated Earlham news page as her children finished out their high school years, then took part time position at the Earlham Library, where she later took over as library director. During the years she served in this position, she organized annual fundraisers and championed for modernizing the library. In 1992 she and Lyle moved to the family farm outside of Van Meter. They became grandparents in 1996, and after seven years with the library, Barb retired.

Barbara enjoyed having family and friends visit, hosting parties and family reunions, decorating their home top to bottom with trees and themes for every room during the holidays. She enjoyed traveling with Lyle and maintained an active social life until her stroke in July of 2019. In 2021, she and Lyle celebrated their 60th anniversary and enjoyed a family Christmas at home with all of her children and grandchildren present.

On Jan. 8, Barbara passed peacefully at Iowa Lutheran Hospital with her family by her side. She is survived by her husband, Lyle Marquardt; daughter, Leslie Marquardt, and son, Eric Marquardt; grandchildren, Melanie (Kris) Litschel, Randall Montgomery, Christopher Montgomery, Zoe Marquardt and Vivien Marquardt; brother, Ed Mall, and sister, Lisa (Steve) Fallert; and many other relatives and friends. She was cremated, and the family will have a celebration of her life in late May.

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