Mary Anne (Racek) Schonhorst (1930-2015)
SCHONHORST, RACEK, KALSEM, LEE, CHEDDIE, AMBROSON, LAWSON, FARMDALE, HITCHCOCK, SANDVIN, HJELMAAS, MATTILA, BRAGG, GRAY, HALVERSON, FREDRICKS, MILLER, CROFT
Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 3/13/2015 at 19:33:30
Obituary From Adams Soderstrum Funeral Home, Story County, Iowa.
On March 4, 2015 Heaven became a much richer place as Jesus welcomed home his child Mary Anne Schonhorst. She has earned her Heavenly rewards and is rejoicing like our earthly minds and hearts cannot fathom.
Mary Anne was born on September 24, 1930 to her very proud parents, Valentine Ewald Racek and Martha Clarissa Kalsem Racek. She joined an older sister, Beryl Ruth Racek Lee, five years her senior. Growing up in a rich Christian home and as a farmer's daughter, Mary Anne became a servant of our Lord at an early age. She learned many great skills that today are primarily unknown to many such as being great seamstress (winning many sewing contests), a great cook, an expert “canner”, as well as a chicken “dresser”.
Mary Anne graduated from Huxley High School and was a member of the girls’ basketball team. She attended Waldorf College and St. Olaf College where, as she said, her major was a MRS degree. On March 17, 1951, she married Donald George Schonhorst, a farmer and Army veteran from Alleman, Iowa. Don and Mary Anne had known each other all their lives as his aunt was married to Mary Anne’s uncle, but no sparks clicked until Mary Anne went away to college. They were married at Fjeldberg Lutheran Church in Huxley, Iowa, in a severe blizzard, and celebrated 29 years of marriage before Don’s untimely passing in 1980.
Mary Anne and Don were the very proud parents of three children, Mary Carole Cheddie, of Coral Springs, Florida, Roger Donald, of Slater and Rosemary Kathleen Ambroson, of Dallas, Texas.
Mary Anne was a devout and highly contributing member of the Schonhorst family farm. She also started the MARS Sparklettes, a baton twirling group in the 1960’s to teach young children the art of baton twirling. This group performed at many parades and local events. She was a 4-H leader for the Polk County Lincolnettes, a Polk County girls 4-H club where she coached and helped develop several champions and a Sunday School teacher. Mary Anne worked tirelessly to help form the North Polk FFA Chapter.
After Don’s passing and dealing with lengthy and multitude of estate matters, Mary Anne rejoined the workforce at age 55 learning many new technologies and skills. She was employed by Guide One in Des Moines for several years where she made outbound phone calls to encourage churches to book appointments for insurance agents to consider the Guide One church insurance programs. She truly loved her job and her co-workers.
Mary Anne was very active for the Republican party and frequently involved in all election campaigns. She and Don were close friends with Ronald and Nancy Reagan and Ron would frequently visit the Schonhorst’s farm to go hunting. Don’s parents were also close friends to Ron as Don’s Mother was a member of the 40 Flying Fingers piano/organ group that performed on WHO just prior to Ron’s radio show. Mary Anne and Roger are also close friends with many leaders in the Republican Party and she kept well abreast of political events and, in fact, had her own views that she was not afraid to state.
Mary Anne was a member of Redeemer Lutheran Church in Des Moines and was a true servant of the Lord. She knew no stranger and was a great trustworthy and reliable friend to all. Son Roger has been a wonderful companion to her since Don’s passing. During her life, she was seldom ill and she passed quite unexpectedly at home in the arms of her devoted son.
Mary Anne is survived by her three children, Mary Carole, Roger and Rosemary; two sons-in-law, Shri Cheddie and Greg Ambroson; three grandchildren, Nehru Cheddie and his wife Karisa, of Ankeny, Ananda Cheddie Lawson and her husband Don, of Dania Beach, Florida and Randa Ambroson, of Dallas, Texas; two great-granddaughters, who so loved their Grandma Great, Kalini Cheddie and Naliya Cheddie and a third, Annalise Rose Ambroson, who just arrived on March 6; her sister, Beryl Ruth Racek Lee and children, Nancy Lee (Michael) Farndale, Phil (Jane) Lee, Dan (Lennice) Lee, and Paul (Jeane) Lee; her step-brother, Raymond (Rayanna) Hitchcock; first cousins, of whom she was very close with, Carroll Racek, Gwen Sandvin, Catherine Hjelmaas, Mary Jo Mattila, Jeannine Bragg, Dolores Gray, Richard Halverson, Wayne Halverson, Pastor Dale Halverson, Carolyn Fredricks, Audrey Miller and Wesley Schonhorst.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Donald; her parents, Val and Martha; her step-mother, Nellie Kalsem Hitchcock Racek; Don’s parents, George John Schonhorst and Gladys Marie Croft Schonhorst; her brother-in-law, Jacob G. Lee; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
The family requests Memorial Contributions be made to Redeemer Lutheran Church, Waldorf College, or the Iowa FFA Foundation.
We rejoice that our Mother has earned her Heavenly rewards but our earthly hearts grieve her passing. To God be the GLORY!
Funeral Service MAR 9. 10:00 AM
Redeemer Lutheran Church
3615 University Ave.
Des Moines, IA, US, 50311Graveside Service MAR 9. 01:00 PM
Lincoln Township Cemetery
Alleman, IA, US
http://www.adamssoderstrum.com/
Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
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