IBBOTSON, Marjorie Louise (KERR)

KERR, IBBOTSON, COOPER, GARLOCK, FOSSE, GLESSNER, GRIMES, GOETTLER, MARKS, BERAN, MATHEW, BROKAW, SOBOTKA, STILL

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 3/16/2018 at 10:47:44

Mount Ayr Record-News
Mount Ayr, Ringgold County, Iowa
Thursday, February 21, 2018

OBITUARY ~ MARJORIE LOUISE (KERR) IBBOTSON
April 22, 1916 ~ February 17, 2018

Marjorie Louise Ibbotson, 101, longtime resident of the Tingley community, passed away peacefully at her most recent home, the Mount Ayr Health Care Center, on Saturday February 17, 2018. A celebration of Marjorie’s life will be held Saturday, February 24, at 10 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Tingley. There will be an open viewing at the Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr on Friday, February 23 from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with the family present Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Marjorie was born at the home of her grandparents on April 22, 1916 in Benton County, Iowa after taking two days to enter the world (as she loved to tell people). Marjorie was the first of five daughters born to John L. and Beatrice J. (Cooper) Kerr. Marjorie grew up on a farm in Black Hawk County near Eagle Center. She attended country school for three years before entering Orange Township school where she graduated as Valedictorian in 1934. After taking a year to work at her grandparents’ home and raise money for college, Marjorie attended Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls where she graduated four years later with a degree in Commercial Subjects. Marjorie’s first year of teaching was in northwest Iowa at Cornell. She was then recruited to teach in Tingley for two years. It was there she met Loren Ibbotson at a dance in Mount Ayr and the romance began. While Loren was in the service Marjorie taught two more years at Lisbon, Iowa. During this time Marjorie and Loren were united in marriage on April 21, 1944 in Corning, Iowa when Loren was on leave from service in World War II. In October of 1945 Marjorie gave birth to their first child, Ann, who was born while Loren was “somewhere in the Pacific” and the news did not reach him for over a month.

When Loren returned from the military service, they moved to the family farm southeast of Tingley. Four more children were born to this union, two more daughters and two sons. Marjorie chose to be a full time housewife and mother and kept busy on her beloved farm caring for her family as well as helping with all aspects of farm life. Marjorie was proud that the farm became a Century Farm in 1976. She loved raising a garden and canning much of what the family ate. She was well known for her good cooking, and family and friends still comment on the wonderful recipes they inherited from her.

Marjorie was a member of the Tingley United Methodist Church where she taught Sunday School over many years and was active in the United Methodist Women. Marjorie also was a member of the Legion Auxiliary. She enjoyed a long-time membership in the T-Club, a social club that gave her much joy over the years.

Loren passed away in 1996, and that same year Marjorie dealt with another great sorrow when her daughter, Ellen, died in a car accident. Meanwhile Marjorie continued to live on the family farm which her son, Alan, farmed. Marjorie, however, continued to be very involved in any way she could and in 2006 when she was 88 years old suffered a heart attack while out after dark helping to get errant cattle back in the pasture.

In April of 2013 Marjorie moved into Maple Ridge Assisted Living in Mount Ayr where she enjoyed three years of the community. It was while she was there that she celebrated her 100 birthday which was a cause of much joy for her. She had been telling people for some time that she was almost 100 years old.

In June of 2016 Marjorie moved into the Mount Ayr Health Care Center where she was lovingly cared for until her death. The family is grateful to Hospice of Central Iowa who also contributed to making Marjorie’s final days more comfortable. Her greatest joys were visits from family including her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Marjorie was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Loren Ibbotson, her four sisters (Harriet Garlock, Bea Fosse, Mary Glessner and Trudy Grimes), and her daughter, Ellen Goettler.

Marjorie is survived by her daughter, Ann, (husband Frank) Marks of Des Moines, son Don (wife Ruth) Ibbotson of Hasting’s Michigan, daughter, Rita, (husband John) Beran of Lenox and son, Alan, (wife Lois) Ibbotson of Tingley. She is also survived by her seven grandchildren: Jon (and Jenn) Goettler, Drew (and Leslie) Goettler, Joel (and Elly) Ibbotson, Anna (and John) Mathew, Jeremy (and Kimberly) Ibbotson, Callie Ibbotson and Isaac Ibbotson as well as two step-grandchildren: Pamela (and Walter) Brokaw and Christina (and Jeremy) Sobotka as well as her eight great-grandchildren: (Ethan and Evan Goettler, Jordan and Sophia Goettler, Tieler Ibbotson, Grace and Joy Mathew and Lorne Ibbotson) and six step-great grandchildren: (Treyton and Hayden Still, Ayden and Landyn Brokaw and Kendall and Rhett Sobotka). She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Thelma Grimes, and her two brothers-in-law, Larry Garlock and Curt Glessner.

Marjorie was known for her intelligence, her feisty spirit, her wit, her faith and her loyal love for family and friends. She will be very much missed by her family and a host of friends.

Memorials may be made to the Tingley United Methodist Church.

[Interment was made at Tingley Cemetery, Tingley, Iowa.]

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, February of 2018

Ringgold Obituaries maintained by Tony Mercer.
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