Madonna Marie (Gelner) CHODUR

CHODUR, GELNER, ROWLEY, NORRIS, WARBURTON, DENNIS, AGNEW, PARKER, ESKILDSEN, RODRIGUEZ, HOPKINS, SINCLAIR

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 4/27/2016 at 19:05:12

August 25, 1920 --- April 22, 2016

Madonna M. Chodur, 95, of Mason City, died Friday, April 22, 2016, at her home. A Mass of the Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am, Friday, April, 29, 2016, at Epiphany Parish, Holy Family Catholic Church, 714 N. Adams Ave., Mason City, Iowa. Officiating will be Father Neil Manternach. Visitation will be from 5:30 until 7 p.m. Thursday at Fullerton Funeral Home, 123 Second St. S.E., Mason City. Interment will be in Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery, Mason City. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.

Madonna Marie was born the oldest of 6 children to Emil and Catherine Gelner on their family farm near Forest City, Iowa. Being part of a musical family, she learned to play the violin and began accompanying her father and mother while traveling around the area playing for barn dances. She graduated from Garner High School and later earned her Teaching Certificate. On Aug. 12, 1941, she was united in marriage to James Leslie Chodur at St. James Catholic Church in Forest City. They farmed in the Clarion area until 1960 when they moved to Mason City. She was employed by Park Hospital and subsequently North Iowa Medical Center/Central Supply for a number of years until retirement.

Madonna was active in gardening, enjoyed cooking, canning, baking as well as sewing. She was a voracious reader and loved doing all types of puzzles, word games and crosswords. She loved to dance and whenever possible, she would go out with friends to local Saturday night dances. Her faith was deep along with being exceptionally generous to many charitable organizations that helped poor and abused children.

Those thankful in sharing her life include her eight surviving daughters and three sons. They are Mary (Wilson Rowley) Chodur, Nancy (Douglas Dowe) Chodur, Catherine Norris, and Philip (Rosalyn Warburton) Chodur, all living in California; Sheila Dennis, Radcliff, KY; Renee (Hank) Agnew, Bethesda, MD; Jovita Parker, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL; Dennis Chodur and Joseph Chodur of Mason City, and Jennifer (Roger) Eskildsen of Clear Lake; 17 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren, and one great-great-grandson, along with her sister Patricia Rodriguez of Mason City. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband James, one daughter Monica Chodur, one grandson David Dennis, three sisters, Rosemary Hopkins, Kathleen Sinclair, Bonnie Gelner, and one brother Wayne Gelner. Fullerton Funeral Home, 123 Second St. S.E., Mason City, IA.

Mason City Globe Gazette -- Mason City, IA
April 27, 2016