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Mary Ellen Marks
Mary Ellen Marks
Lisbon
Mary Ellen Marks, “Molly” to many in her family, was born on Nov. 27, 1929, the second oldest of eight children born to Louis and Clara Kapfer. She was raised in Oxford. Mary met her husband of 66 years, Roger Marks, at the Danceland Ball Room. With Roger, she raised eight children, including two stepdaughters, and loved all of her children as her own. Remarkably, Mary had three sets of twins, including two daughters that she put up for adoption and who she and Roger were reunited with, and maintained contact with the past several years. Mary instilled in her children a strong faith and solid values. She was a devout Catholic and attended St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids for many years, until moving together with Roger to Lisbon in 2017. Mary and Roger were grateful for those who cared for them at the Rehabilitation Center of Lisbon.
She missed Roger after his passing and was ready to be reunited with him in the next life when she died July 1, 2023. She was predeceased by Roger (2020); they were both predeceased by his two daughters, Marcia Anderson and Daryl Plummer, who she raised; granddaughter, Kathryn Vowell; sons-in-law, Troy Freeman and Mike Murphy; and her three sisters and three of her brothers.
Survivors include her children, Judy (Jay) Ploessl of Coral Springs, Fla., Trudy Murphy of Atlanta, Ga., Barbara Freeman of Garland, Texas, Jeffrey (Jean) Marks of Colorado Springs, Colo., Tam Marks of Carrol, Kim (Mike) Myhre of Cedar Rapids, Tim Marks of Denver, Colo., and Tom (Dixie Bixler) Marks of Mount Vernon; brother, Thomas (Teresita) Kapfer of Pleasant Prairie, Wis.; and 22 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.
A funeral Mass will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, July 6, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Mount Vernon by the Rev. Andrew Awotwe-Mensah, with luncheon to follow. All are welcome to attend a rosary at 11:30 a.m. at the church, followed by 12 to 12:45 p.m. visitation. A private family burial will take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the family. Teahen Funeral Home and Cremation are serving the family.
Online condolences can be left at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.
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