Jean Becker

JEAN BECKER Strawberry Point Jean Sarah (Sheppard) Becker, 91, of Strawberry Point, passed away Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015, at home. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 5, at Emanuel Lutheran Church, Strawberry Point. Family will greet friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Bohnenkamp Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Manchester and one before the service Thursday at the church. Burial will be at Campton Oak Hill Cemetery, Lamont. Jean was born Aug. 31, 1923, in Delaware County, the daughter of John (Jack) and Carrie (Downs) Sheppard. She graduated from Buck Creek High School in 1941. Jean worked at Woolworths Five & Dime in Cedar Rapids and later at the grocery store in Dundee. She married Don Becker on March 12, 1949. They farmed near Dundee, Edgewood and Fayette. After retiring in 1977, they traveled and lived in Arkansas for 12 years. They returned to Iowa in 1989 and lived in rural Lamont, before moving to Oelwein. After Don's death on Oct. 9, 2005, Jean moved to Strawberry Point. She was a member of WELCA St. Peters in Lamont, president of VFW Auxiliary in Oelwein, the American Legion in Lamont, Daughters of the American Revolution and a member of the Emanuel Lutheran Church, Strawberry Point. Jean loved her family and the times they spent together, especially their 50th anniversary and picnics. She enjoyed her grandchildren. She especially enjoyed when her grandchildren would come and stay with them. Crystal was a joy for them to raise and enjoyed every minute of being with her. Her favorites included the color purple and swans. She enjoyed talking to people on the CB with her handle "White Swan." Her family meant the world to her. She enjoyed going places, liked Amish country, Goodwills, garage sales and trips. Surviving are children, Connie (Gerald) Alderson, Cedar Rapids, Kenneth (Gloria) Becker, Hawkeye, Roger Becker, Marshalltown, David (Joyce) Becker, Dundee, Gary (Karen) Becker, Fayette, Terry (Ruth) Becker, Urbana, Matthew (Janet) Becker, Dundee, and Crystal Becker, Evansdale; 19 grandchildren; 28 great-grandchildren; and two great-great-grandchildren. Jean was preceded in death by her husband, Don; parents, Jack and Carrie Sheppard; a sister, Wilma Thompson; a brother, Lester Sheppard; grandsons, Arnie Paul Becker and Matthew David Becker; and a great-granddaughter, Brooklynn Buchholtz. The family appreciates the nurses who helped care for their mother so she could continue to live at home. It meant a lot to her and all the family. A special thank you to Ronna, Judy, Marcie, Karen and all of the hospice staff who cared for her. They would also like to thank Ruth and Gloria for their loving care of their mom. Please share a memory of Jean at www.murdoch funeralhome.com under obituaries.