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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
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Lyllis Friest
LYLLIS (SCHAEFER) FRIEST
Cedar Rapids
Lyllis Marie (Schaefer) Friest, 84, of Des Moines, died Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, at Bishop Drumm Care Center in Johnston. She passed peacefully under the attentive care of the Bishop Drumm and Mercy Hospice staff.
Lyllis, daughter of Orville E. and Carrie V. (Specht) Schaefer, was born Nov. 8, 1931, in Oskaloosa, Iowa. She lived in several Iowa communities growing up and graduated from Frankin High School in Cedar Rapids in 1949. Lyllis married Roger Thomas Friest on Oct. 25, 1957, and the couple raised one daughter. Lyllis worked as a secretary and office manager for many years, first with Long-Bell Lumber Co. in Cedar Rapids, and later with Type-A-Service, Presto-X-Co., and ABC Pest Control in Des Moines.
She was a fulltime homemaker and active PTA volunteer, homeroom mother and Camp Fire leader during her daughter's childhood.
Known for her outspoken nature and exuberant laughter, Lyllis made lifelong friends in the places she lived, as well as through her many activities and online clubs. She was always alert for new things to do, places to go and ways to surprise or indulge the people she cared about.
Lyllis loved Iowa Hawkeye football; everything Christmas;
'40s-era music and movies; baking; attending shows and concerts; collecting Swarovski crystal, Hallmark ornaments and Steiff bears; traveling; and spending time with her daughter and family. Some of her fondest memories were of family trips to New York, N.Y., Willamsburg, Va., and the 1986 Rose Bowl game, and a tour to Austria with the Swarovski Crystal Society.
Lyllis is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cathy (Friest) and Robert Rodgers of Wichita; her granddaughter, Erin Rodgers of Rochester, N.Y.; her sister-in-law, Nancy (Spracklin) Schaefer (Glen) of West Des Moines; and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Roger; her brother, Glen Schaefer; and nephews, Craig Schaefer and Bradley Schaefer.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 27, at Iles Westover Chapel in Des Moines. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 28, at Westover. Graveside services will be 2 p.m. Monday at Conrad Cemetery, Conrad, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Lyllis' name may be made to Bishop Drumm Care Center or Mercy Hospice.
Online condolences will be welcomed at www.Ilescares.com.
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