Marladeen (Ross) PENNER

PENNER, PARMER, GORSLINE, ROSS

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 9/21/2006 at 00:57:50

Gazette, The (Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA)
March 10, 2005

Marladeen Penner, 85, of Anamosa, died Tuesday, March 8, 2005, in the Anamosa Care Center following an extended illness. Memorial services: 11 a.m. Saturday, United Methodist Church, Anamosa. The Rev. Grant Tadlock will officiate. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery at a later date. Friends may call two hours before services at the church.

Survivors include two daughters, Holly A. (Jack) Parmer of Maquoketa and Cherri Penner of Anamosa; two sons that Marladeen and Don were foster parents to, James (Deb) Gorsline of Texarkana, Texas, and Charles (Deb) Gorsline of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Rachel Parmer, Mary Parmer, Jamie Gorsline, Ashley Gorsline, Alea Gorsline, Cory Gorsline, Jonathan Gorsline and Michael Gorsline. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Donald in 1994; and one son, John Penner in 1972.

Marladeen R. Ross was born Sept. 5, 1919, in Hampton, Iowa. She graduated from high school in Rowan, Iowa and then attended the University of Minnesota. On Jan. 29, 1944, she married Donald Penner in Minneapolis. Donald and Marladeen operated the family owned Ben Franklin store in Anamosa for 25 years. She also operated Hilltop Quilt House in Anamosa. Marladeen was active in the community, being a leader for Camp Fire Girls, leader of the 4-H Club for Handicapped Girls, Sunday School teacher, member of Martha's Circle, Garden Club, Ophilian Club, Calico Cut-Ups, one of the original founders of the Grant Wood Art Festival, AFS program, Anamosa Beautification Corps and PTA. Her hobbies included sewing, quilting, gardening and cooking. She was a certified quilting teacher by the national quilting association. A memorial fund has been established in Marladeen's name to the United Methodist Church and Camp Courageous.