Marcelene L. (Timm) HOUG

TIMM, HOUG, FLOY, PALS, GROH, WARD, STEEN, OSTRANDER, MONSON, SHEETS, SCHMITT, SMITH

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 5/3/2014 at 14:26:37

October 26, 1915 --- August 6, 2012

Marcelene (Timm) Houg, 96, of Belmond died Aug. 6, 2012, at the Belmond Medical Center. Funeral services for Marcelene Houg will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 13, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Belmond. Pastor Troy Pflibsen will officiate. Burial will take place in the Pleasant View cemetery in Thornton. Visitation for Marcelene Houg will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. today, Sunday Aug. 12, at Dugger Funeral Home, 111 Luick's Lane S., Belmond, and continue one hour prior to services at the church on Monday.

Marcelene (Timm) Houg was born on Oct. 26, 1915, on the Martin Floy farm south of Thornton. She was the daughter of Henry and Helen (Floy) Timm. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Thornton. She attended Thornton Public School, graduating with the Class of 1933 as valedictorian. After graduation, she was part of the committee that organized the very first alumni banquet for Thornton graduates. This was something that she was always proud of.

On Nov. 14, 1950, she was united in marriage to Oscar A. Houg and they made their home in Thornton. They had one daughter, LuAnn. Oscar owned and operated the Houg Motor Service. Marcelene was employed from 1937 to 1952 at D.S. Mabb & Co., later known as Mabb Grocery Store, in Thornton. For several years she was also employed at the Pleasant Valley Golf Course in Thornton. In 1976 she started working for the A.C. Nielsen Market Research Co. in Mason City and retired from there in 1985.

After the loss of her husband in 1991, her brother Ralph in 1993, and her sister Frances in 1994, she moved to Belmond to be closer to her only daughter, LuAnn Pals and her family. She loved watching her grandchildren grow up and being a part of their lives.

Sewing was the one thing she enjoyed most in her life. Her family can all recall the special things she made as gifts. Some of her projects were bridesmaid dresses, altar vestments, quilts, and Barbie Doll clothes, plus crocheting and knitting. She was happiest when she was busy on a special project. She loved flowers and always had a large garden filled with wonderful produce. Her cupboards and freezer were always overflowing with her delicious canned goods. Thanksgiving was always at "Aunt Mardy's" house, where we all enjoyed her favorite dishes and made wonderful memories. Marcelene was proud of her family history and everyone looked to her as the keeper of the family tree and the one who could answer all of our questions. She was the glue that kept us all close. Life gave Marcelene a lot of physical challenges and she was always saying "One day at a time, dear Lord." Her faith in God was her refuge and strength.

Left to cherish her memory are her daughter, LuAnn and husband, Curt Pals of Belmond; grandchildren, Kevin Pals of Belmond, Steven Pals of Cedar Falls, Laura Pals of Belmond; stepson, Don Houg of Salinas, Calif.; sisters-in-law, Ruth (Vic) Groh of Clear Lake, Trudy Timm of Lenexa, Kan.; nieces and nephews, David (Denise) Timm of Omaha, Neb., Beverly (Tim) Ward of Lee's Summit, Mo., Janet (Doug) Steen of Kansas City, Mo., Jean (Mark) Ostrander of Clear Lake, Mary Ellen (Ron) Monson of Clear Lake, Randy (Sherri) Timm of Perry, Barbara (Leon) Sheets of Ionia and Betty (Bryan) Schmitt of Cresco. She is preceded in death by her husband, Oscar (1991), parents, Henry and Helen Timm, sister, Frances (Timm) Smith (1994), and twin brothers, Roy (2002) and Ralph Timm (1993).

Mason City Globe Gazette - Mason City, Iowa
August 8, 2012