Mathiasen, Mary Ann 1935-2014

MATHIASEN, MANDERS, MERICAL, HESS

Posted By: Linda Ziemann, Volunteer (email)
Date: 5/3/2014 at 14:21:00

Mary Ann Mathiasen was born on November 11, 1935 to Ralph and Josephine (Merical) Manders in Waukee, Iowa. She attended Waukee Public Schools and graduated from Waukee High School with the Class of 1953.

Right after graduation, she was united in marriage to Vernon Hess. There were four children born to this union: Teresa, Linda, Scott, and Jeffry. Mary Ann also claimed her “third daughter” Braunda Nordby Bertsch. She went to work at Bell Telephone Company in Des Moines, Iowa while her husband was in the service.

Mary Ann spent twenty-four years as co-head cook at the Elk Horn-Kimballton School District. She loved the children and they affectionately called her “Miss Mary”. She not only had a positive impact on them, but on all that she met.

She was involved in several neighborhood clubs. She was a member of Elk Horn Lutheran Church and Monroe Methodist Church, where she married Howard Mathiasen on February 18, 1984. Early in their marriage, they lived in Belgrade, Minnesota and then Apache Junction, Arizona. While living in Arizona, she worked at Sousa Elementary School and gave the children’s sermons at John Calvin Presbyterian Church.

She was a happy, fun-loving person who spread much joy and happiness to everyone she met throughout her entire life. She touched so many lives and lived by the motto, “there is no problem too big that you can’t smile and laugh every day”.

Mary and Howard moved back to Iowa in July of 2009 to be closer to their family. By March of 2010, she had become a resident of Salem Lutheran Home in Elk Horn, Iowa. This is where she died on Monday, April 7, 2014, having attained the age of seventy-eight years, four months, and twenty-seven days. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Charles Manders, sister Lucille Carroll, and son-in-law Bradley Coulter.

She is survived by her husband Howard Mathiasen of Harlan, Iowa; children: Teresa and her husband Kelley Kennedy of Bloomington, Illinois, Linda Coulter of LeMars, Iowa, Scott Hess of Avoca, Iowa, and Jeffry Hess and his wife Lori of Columbus, Nebraska; step-daughter Jeanne Brower of Naperville, Illinois; step-sons Matt Mathiasen of Moran, Minnesota and Jimmy Mathiasen of Guatemala; five grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; other family members and friends.

Pastor Janet Miller presided over the 2:00 PM funeral service on Thursday, April 10, 2014 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Harlan, Iowa. Music was provided by Lisa Meyer and Cathy Noon. Honorary casket bearers were Owen Osentowski, Avari Osentowski, Tiarra Osentowski, Sailor Jo Kommes, Slade Kommes, Larissa Kommes, Chantel Stuart, Bryce Stuart, Bailey Stuart, Brady Hess, and Shane Hess. Inurnment will be held at a later date at the Resthaven Cemetery in LeMars, Iowa.

Source: Pauley Jones Funeral Home