Mary L. Conrad
May 15, 1931 ~ February 17, 2016
Mary L. Conrad, 84, of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Hiawatha, died at home on Wednesday, February 17, 2016. Funeral Mass: 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, 2016, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, Hiawatha, by Father Mark Ressler. The family will greet friends one hour prior to the service. Mary donated her body to the University of Iowa Department of Anatomy.
Survivors include a son, Peter C. Conrad; five daughters, Anne Conrad Duffy, Nicolette J. (Rocky) Woods, Mary Kathleen 'Kayt' (Donald Klingenberger) Conrad, Martina C. (Larry Price) Conrad, and Aimee J. (Ronald Dubreuil) Conrad; brothers, Charles (Mary) McEowen and Gerald (Sandy) McEowen; sister, Patricia McEowen; sisters-in-law, Mary T. Conrad and Marcia McEowen; four grandchildren, Nicholas (Megan) Duffy, Brenna (A.J.) Young, Sophia Klingenberger, and LiZhong Dubreuil; and five great grandchildren, Alec, Aubree, Bryce, Logan and Crosby; and many nieces and nephews.
Mary was born on May 16, 1931, in Cosgrove, Iowa. She graduated from Mt. Mercy Teachers College and Kirkwood Community College. On July 24, 1954, she married Cletus J. Conrad at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids. Mary was a teacher in area elementary schools. She was a charter member of St. Pius Catholic Church where she served on the school board and was a charter member of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, where she was an active volunteer. Mary was also a former member of the Hiawatha Planning & Zoning Commission.
Mary will be remembered by her children and grandchildren as their greatest cheerleader. She will be greatly missed.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Cletus; brother, Martin McEowen; and granddaughter, Sarah Anne Woods.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Cletus and Mary Conrad Memorial Endowed Scholarship through the Kirkwood Community College Foundation, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52406.
The family extends a special thank you to Home Choice and Hospice of Mercy for their compassionate care.
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It was with real sadness that I learned of Mary’s passing. She was such a dear friend of my mom, Marj Beed. There was always so much laughing and “carrying on” when the two of them got together! It meant a lot to our family when Mary was brought to Mom’s memorial last year and I am sorry that we could not be in Iowa to show our love and respect to her. I know they are in Heaven right now making those husbands DANCE with them!!!
Barb Beed Henry
Sorry to hear about Mary’s passing. We remember Mary from all the senior luncheons with the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton crowd. She will be missed. Mary, you are in a far, far better place than we. Blessings to the family. Peace be to you! – Bette Soukup & Debra Hawes
Please accept my sincere condolences. Mary has been my friend, confident, teaching partner, and supporter for 35 years. I love her dearly. There’s nothing better than having a friend who is always on your side no matter what life brings. Mary’s constant devotion to her husband and children is heart-warming. She advised me and laughed with me. The world doesn’t look quite the same without Mary. You are in my prayers. Becky DeWald
Tina and family,
Please except my sincere condolences . It is never easy to lose a parent. I just wanted you to know that I am thinking of you. And send my prayers.
Tracy Thompson Klein Gale
To Mary’s Family,
I was so very sad to hear of Mary’s passing. I have been able to get to know and love Mary as a member of her book group. Mary had a quiet nature and a quick wit. She will be missed by so many people. I hope we can all hang on to our memories of her and keep her alive in our hearts.
Mary Schmidt
A bright light was extinguished when Mary left us. She brought joy,wit, humor and wisdom to all who knew her. it was a privilege to have Mary in my life. Mary taught for me at Grant Wood when I needed to be away from my classroom. We were in a book group together following our retirements. She always had insights to share with us when we discussed our books. My thoughts are with Mary’s family. Rekindle the flame by sharing your memories and stories of your life with Mary. Ellen Collins
Mary was my friend, and that friendship is a gift that I treasure. Mary’s wonderful dry wit and twinkly sense of humor delighted me. She taught me that humor gives you more courage than complaining does. I first met Mary when she was a guest teacher for me at Grant Wood ages ago. The kids GOT her and enjoyed that soft sarcasm …”She’s funny!” they would say. Yup, she sure was. I bet that stood her in good stead over the years of marriage, parenting, teaching and caregiving.
Mary called me “dearie.” I loved that. She allowed me to adopt my beloved corgi, Ruthie from her 5 years ago, and whenever Mary came to my house for book club, Ruthie always greeted he r”FIRST MOTHER MARY” with affection. I sure will miss Mary’s good advice, funny stories, courage, and company. She was a gem and a half.I love you, Mary
I want all of Mary’s children to know that watching you with her and with each other was another inspiration to me. You are a good clan, and don’t forget that.
Sincerely,
Mary Kopecky
Mary and I were in the same book group, along with Mary K and Mary S below. Mary C was such a wonderful influence on the book group. Her laid-back response to every drama in the books was humorous to behold. The rest of us would be exclaiming over this or that, and invariably, Mary would say some sort of zinger, a dry, witty comment that made us all stop and laugh! She would smile humbly, knowing that once again she added to our group in a way that only Mary could. She handled her stress gracefully and was an inspiration to me – never once did she complain or go down a negative path, even when Cletus’s health deteriorated or her own health issues started becoming something that she couldn’t ignore. I would like to impart to you, her children, that Mary was indeed a gift and her attitude, demeanor and grace were a gift that continues to give. Rest in peace, friend.
I have been in a book group with Mary for many years. It has been my good fortune to have known her. When I think of her, there are two things that always come to mind. One was her wonderful, witty sense of humor. She kept us laughing and was able to find humor in almost every situation. The other is her open-mindedness, a trait I greatly admire. Although her Catholic faith was very important to her, she was able to rationally look at the merits of various issues and evaluate her
position using facts. I feel privileged to have known her and I feel certain that her many gifts will live on in her children and grandchildren.