Esther (Weitzel) KENNEDY MULHERN

MULHERN, WEITZEL, KENNEDY, SCHRINER, WHITNABLE, ELVERT, BRUE, WISE, VANHORN, HILDEBRAND, DICKES, WILCKE, KAFER, KOCH, MCCLOUD, OTTEN, PETERSON, WEAVER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 2/21/2009 at 12:47:52

CLEAR LAKE - Esther Kennedy Mulhern, 93, of Highway 18 West, Clear Lake, died Monday (Feb. 16, 2009) at the Oakwood Care Center with her loving family by her side. A funeral service will be held 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, at the United Methodist Church, Clear Lake, with the Rev. Rhoda Preston officiating. Interment will be held at Memorial Park Cemetery, Highway 122 West, Mason City. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. today at the Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel, 101 N. Fourth St. in Clear Lake, and then one hour before the service at the church. Memorials may be given to the Esther Kennedy Mulhern Memorial Fund.

Esther was born on July 7, 1915, in Belmond, to George and Christine (Schriner) Weitzel. Esther grew up on the family farm and milked the cows before attending school in South Dakota. As a young woman, Esther came to Mason City. She married Charles Kennedy in June 1934. Together they raised Charles' four children as well as having two of their own. Esther took care of her family and home. She also worked for Decker meatpacking plant. Charles passed away in 1958. Esther continued to care for her family while working for Decker and finally retiring after 30-plus years in the late 1970s. In March of 1969, Esther married Marvin Mulhern and they went on to enjoy their families together until Marvin's passing in 1994. Esther's hobbies were quilting, gardening, growing beautiful flowers and fishing. If she didn't have dirt underneath her fingernails, she didn't think she had worked hard enough. Her main priority in life was to take care of her family, friends and neighbors. She never let anyone leave her house empty-handed. Esther volunteered at the Handicap Village Store and loved the people she worked with and met through this work. Esther was a member of the Clear Lake United Methodist Church. She will be greatly missed by her surviving family and welcomed to heaven by those that have gone before her.

Esther is survived by her daughter, Mary (Roger) Whitnable, of Bussey; daughter-in-law, Mary Ann Kennedy, of Fertile; 13 grandchildren, Danny Kennedy of Plymouth, Bobbi Ann (Don) Elbert of Ventura, Kim (Dave) Brue of Forest City, Kathy Wise and friend, Dave VanHorn, of Fertile, Chuck (Sue) Kennedy of Fertile, Steve Whitnable of Golden, Colo., Debbie (Jay) Hildebrand of Des Moines, Kelly (Al) Dickes of Clear Lake, Kristi (Kevin) Wilcke of Clear Lake, Bill (Diane) Kafer of Manly, Karolyn (Kirby) Koch of Iowa Falls, Shirley Otten of Mason City and Clifford McCloud of Cape Coral, Fla.; many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews. Esther was preceded in death by her parents; two husbands; 14 siblings; three daughters, Arlene Kafer, Violet McCloud and Linda Peterson; two sons, Clarence Kennedy and Bob Kennedy; granddaughter, Pat Weaver; and one great-grandson, Jeffrey Weaver. Ward-Van Slyke Colonial Chapel.

Mason City Globe Gazette - Iowa
2/18/2009