Mary Lou Mikel BORN: June 12, 1935 DIED: October 22, 2013 LOCATION: Bloomington, Indiana Mary Lou Mikel, 78, of Bloomington, Indiana and formerly of Grinnell, Iowa, Glenwood, AZ and Rockport, TX, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, October 22, 2013, at the home of her daughter in Bloomington. A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, October 29, 2013, at the First Friends Church, south of Grinnell, with Rev. Keith Morrison, chaplain of Grinnell Regional Hospice, officiating. Pianist will be Kathleen McCune. Casket Bearers will be Glen Mikel, Jarrid Mikel, Taylor Mikel, Abram Hess, Caleb Hess and Emily Pickney. Interment will be at the Chester Cemetery, north of Grinnell. Memorials may be directed to the Camp Scholarship Fund of the Grinnell First Friends Church and sent in care of the Smith Funeral Home, P.O. Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Online condolences may be sent to: smithfh. Mary Lou was born on June 12, 1935, in Marshalltown, Iowa to Frederick and Bessie Gaugh Ebert. She lived with her family in the Gilman and Kellogg areas before settling in Newburg, Iowa. She played guard on the Newburg basketball team and graduated as valedictorian from Newburg High School with the Class of 1953. On September 2, 1953, she was united in marriage to Harvey Mikel, who had taken her to church with him. The couple farmed north of Grinnell in Chester Township for over 50 years. She enjoyed making a large garden and canning food for the family, sewing their clothes, wood working and living the life of a farm wife. In later years, Mary Lou and Harvey entertained students, Alfonso Gamez of Mexico and Karin Reid of Norway in their home through the Rotary Exchange Program, as their own children were also Rotary exchange students. They hosted international students from Grinnell College and always had another place at the table for anyone in need. She was especially known for her baked goods and her chocolate brownies. Mary Lou and Harveys love of travel took them to many states and countries, keeping up with old friends, and making new ones along the way. She was a long-time member of the First Friends Church in Grinnell and taught Sunday Sunday for many years. She was also a crafts leader and camp counselor at Camp Quaker Heights, worked as a driver for Diamond Life Home and assisted at the Station Club House in Grinnell. Mary Lou volunteered as a hospice caregiver and worked in retail at Frenchs Variety Store. While living in Bloomington, she attended the Clearnote Church with her daughters family and she enjoyed continuing her ministry with the children. Survivors include her children, Linda (Caleb) Hess of Bloomington, IN, Elaine (Magnus) Jolayemi of Indianapolis, IN, Martha Mikel (Yang) Hong of West Windsor, NJ and Glen (Susan) Mikel of Des Moines, IA; twelve grandchildren; two great grandchildren; and two brothers, Frederick H. Ebert of Puyallup, WA and Richard (Carol) Ebert of Grinnell. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; and two grandsons, Cory and Adam Mikel. Funeral Service Tuesday, October 29 10:30 AM First Friends Church 1115 West Street South Grinnell, IA 50112 (641) 236-6412 Get Directions Book Travel to Service Visitation Monday, October 28 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM Smith Funeral Home 1103 Broad Street Grinnell, IA 50112 (641) 236-3134 Get Directions Book Travel to Service Graveside Service Tuesday, October 29 1:30 PM Chester Cemetery Grinnell, IA Get Directions Book Travel to Service
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 21:57:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015