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McGowan, Mildred I.
Mildred I. McGowan, 95, of Marion, died Thursday, April 1, 2010, at the Hiawatha Care Center. Services will be 1 p.m. Tuesday at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories, Cedar Rapids. The Rev. Mark F. Lofquist of the Toddville Free Methodist Church will officiate. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday at the chapel.
She is survived by niece and caretaker, Jennifer (David) Cress-Slife; nephew and caretaker, David (Kim) Casteel; special friend and caretaker, Debbie Hogan; and many other nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Mansfield and Nellie Cress; her husband, Thomas E. McGowan; her siblings, Orville, Curtis, Gladys, Mary, Josephine Pearl, Carl and Dorothea (in infancy); and special friend, Joe Hanisch.
Mildred was born Nov. 5, 1914, in rural Toddville, Iowa, to Mansfield and Nellie (Minor) Cress. She graduated from Grant High School in Cedar Rapids in 1931. She was united in marriage to Thomas E. McGowan on Jan. 21, 1936. Tom died in 1982. Mildred and Tom were longtime residents and supporters of Marion.
Mildred owned and operated Rainbow Real Estate for 17 years in Hiawatha. She had also been employed by the Cedar Rapids Assessors Office, Linn County Treasurers office, and during World War II worked at LaPlant-Choate. She was a lifelong member of the Toddville Free Methodist Church and was a founding member of the Open Arms Group at the church. She was also a member of over 50 years with the Marion Nature and Garden Club. Her hobbies included gardening, traveling, and decorating for the holidays. She was also an accomplished seamstress, sewing her own wardrobe for most of her life.
Her family would like to thank Dr. Anne Voigts, her nurse Kristy, along with the staff at Hiawatha Care Center, for the tender care given to Mildred.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Toddville Free Methodist Church, 309 Johnson Dr., PO Box 93, Toddville, IA 52341
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