Hortense Brittingham

Hortense Marcello Brittingham 89, of Marion, Iowa, formerly of Baltimore, Maryland, died peacefully on Wednesday, July 8, 2020, at Willow Gardens Care Center. Private Celebration of Life services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 20, 2020, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Family and friend's visitation will be held from 10 a.m. until 11 a.m. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. Family and friends are invited to watch a live stream of the service on Facebook. Please search for and ask to join Remembering Hortense Brittingham group page for more information. Hortense was born on February 7, 1931, in Baltimore Maryland, the daughter of Harry Brittingham and Celestine (Anderson) Chester. She was educated in the Baltimore City Public School System and graduated from Douglass High School. Hortense had over forty years as an assistant buyer and sale person for multiple specialty stores in the Pikeville, area. She moved to Iowa nineteen years ago, and spent ten years of the nineteen years in Ohio and Kentucky area taking care of her granddaughter and great grandson. Hortense was Fashion Coordinator to her friends and loved to go to fashion shows so that she could be on top of her game. She attended many social gatherings and church functions. She loved to listen to jazz music and go to casino whenever she could get someone to take her. She enjoys dancing and learning the latest dance moves. Hortense served as a leader for the Girl Scouts, helping to recruit leaders and marketing the area for cookie sales. In her later life, Hortense liked listening to Christian music, and watching Joel Osteen and Jimmy Swaggart on television. She loved to do word search puzzles, read the newspaper, read mystery books, and play solitaire to keep her mind sharp. She was preceded in death by her parents; one sister, Alfreda Howard; two brothers, Stanley Henry, and William Hazel of Baltimore, Maryland. She leaves to cherish her memories her daughter, Denise (Ray) Bridges; her granddaughter, Dashawn Freeman; great grandson, Kaden Freeman; nieces, Stephanie Henry and Ann Curry; nephews, Kyle (Cataunya) Ransom, Keith Ransom, and Kevin Ransom; and a host of great nieces and great nephews; and friends.