Jean Arlene (McCormick) ZMOLEK

ZMOLEK, MCCORMICK

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 8/21/2016 at 17:03:56

February 7, 1922 ---- March 30, 2014

Jean Zmolek was born to William and Emma McCormick on Feb. 7, 1922, and grew up in Clarion. She passed away on March 30, 2014, in Ames. A visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 8, at St. Cecilia Church in Ames followed by a vigil service at 7. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 9, at St. Cecilia. Following the service, there will be a reception with food, remembrances, song and dance in the social hall. The burial will be on Saturday May 10, in St. Patrick’s Cemetery in Tama. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to NARFE Alzheimer’s Research Fund in care of Karen Halloum, 1110 Clark Ave., Ames, 50010.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in dietetics at Iowa State University. It was at a dance there that she met the love of her life, Bill Zmolek. After graduation, she became a lieutenant in the Army Medical Corps at Camp Butner, N.C., where she married Bill on Dec. 8, 1945, leading to 68 years of love, companionship, marriage, five children and many nights of dancing.

Jean loved the outdoors and prodded her often reluctant husband to pack up the kids and the car and head to the mountains of California to see her only sister, June. When her sister passed away more than 40 years ago, she honored her promise to be an “other mother” and grandmother to her sister’s children and grandchildren. She was also a master in her own kitchen, and would always set an extra plate. No one ever wanted to miss an opportunity to eat one of her pies, cinnamon rolls or poppy seed rolls. She loved to grow and arrange flowers. Her grandchildren have many happy memories of her attempts to protect her garden by chasing rabbits.

Never one to sit still, Jean launched several careers after the children started to leave home. Among those were school librarian and author, researcher and publisher of two family histories. She served as the president of the Faculty Women’s Club at Iowa State. When her mother became ill, she became a senior citizen advocate, spending time as a hospice volunteer and leading memory activities at nursing homes. She also served on the national board of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Alzheimer’s Fund.

She constantly sought out ways to help others. In her church, she tutored foreign students in English, administered communion to shut-ins, and volunteered at soup kitchens into her late 80s. She performed and danced on stage. She didn’t let age slow her down. She welcomed strangers, old and young, into her home from all around the world and accepted them as family. She was a voracious reader and maintained a love of learning and an undying curiosity about food, culture, history, travel, languages and computers.

Jean is survived by her loving husband, Bill; her children, Steve (Dee), Gary (Beth), Gloria, John (Jerry) and Paul (Josephine). She is also survived by seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Toward the end of her life, as Jean began to lose her ability to talk, her most often repeated phrase was, “I have a good family.” In her, we had a good wife, mother, grandmother, aunt and citizen of the world. She touched so many lives. We’ll never forget her beautiful smile, or how great she looked in a hat.

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