Marcella M. (Kelly) MORF

MORF, VABULAS, NATH, MCKEOWN, PLINER, MARTINSON, KELLY, BERRY

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 12/31/2009 at 21:29:58

Marcella Morf, 88, of Monticello, died Thursday evening, June 5, 2008, in Monticello, following a brief illness. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 11, at the United Church of Monticello, with interment in Oakwood Cemetery at a later date. The Rev. Jean Sullivan will officiate at the services. Friends may call from 4 until 7 p.m. today at Goettsch Funeral Home, Monticello. A luncheon will be served at the Eagles Club following the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Camp Courageous or the United Church of Monticello.

Surviving are two daughters, Lani (Jeff) Vabulas, Arlington Heights, Ill., and Sue (Tom) Nath, West Windsor, N.J.; four grandchildren, Brian (Felicity) Vabulas, Chicago, Kelly (Chris) McKeown, Gurnee, Ill., Andrea Nath, Chicago, and David Nath, Washington, D.C.; and two sisters, Henrietta Pliner and Evon (Phillip) Martinson, both of Fort Dodge. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Louis, on Aug. 26, 2007; and a brother, Robert Kelly.

Marcella M. Kelly was born Aug. 18, 1919, in Fort Dodge, Iowa. She was the daughter of Henry and Cora Berry Kelly. Marcella graduated from the Otho, Iowa, High School in 1937 and attended Central College at Pella, where she received her associate degree in elementary education. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Upper Iowa University and did graduate work at Drake University. She taught high school and junior high music at Popejoy, Iowa , and then fifth and six grades at Kellogg, Iowa. After three years at Kellogg she moved to Sac City and taught fourth grade for five years. While she was teaching in Sac City she met her future husband, Louis. Marcella Kelly and Louis Morf were married Aug. 9, 1944, at the Otho Methodist Church. The couple moved to Monticello in 1946 where Louis was the principal of Monticello Community Schools for four years. The couple moved to Dubuque for a year where Louis taught at Dubuque Senior. In 1952, they returned to Monticello and Louis started working at the Monticello State Bank as the assistant cashier and trust officer. Marcella taught in the Monticello Community Schools until she retired in 1982. She had been teaching for a total of 30 years. Marcella was a Sunday school teacher at the Methodist Church and also directed the Junior Choir. She was a Camp Fire leader for nine years and a member of the Delphian Club for over 50 years. She was a 50-year member of Order of the Eastern Star where she was Worthy Matron in 1958-1959. She was also very active in the PEO Sisterhood for over 50 years and was state secretary of the PEO Convention in 1964. With her husband Louis, the couple were the Grand Marshalls of the Monticello Fourth of July Parade in 1997 and Grand Marshalls of the Homecoming Activities in the Monticello Public Schools in 1998. Her many activities included knitting, painting, ceramics, calligraphy, making quilts, counted cross stitch projects and playing bridge. At Christmastime she made many pounds of candy which she shared with many friends and family. She edited a cookbook in 2000 and dedicated it to her four grandchildren. Cooking and entertaining were a big part of her life.

The Gazette, Cedar Rapids-Iowa City, IA
June 10, 2008