Alta V. Darrow

ALTA V. DARROW

Martelle

Alta V. Darrow, 104, died Tuesday, July 31, 2018, at the Hallmark Care Center in Mount Vernon, Iowa.

Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6, at Goettsch Funeral Home, Anamosa, where the family will greet friends on Sunday, Aug. 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. Burial will take place in Norwich Cemetery, Martelle. Thoughts, memories and condolences may be shared with the family at goettschonline.com.

Alta Vanitia Simmons was born Jan. 6, 1914, in Olin, Iowa, the daughter of William and Ada (Hammond) Simmons. She graduated from Olin High School in 1934 and then married Wilbur Darrow at the United Methodist Church in Olin. The couple later divorced.

She was employed as a cook at Cornell College in Mount Vernon, retiring in 1983 after serving for over 20 years. Before that, she worked as a cook at various area restaurants. She was a member of the United Methodist Church in Martelle and the Martelle chapter of the Pythian Sisters for over 30 years. She enjoyed knitting and crocheting, making many items for her family, gardening, cooking and making egg noodles from scratch. Above all else, she loved spending time with her family.

Those remembering her are her children, Larry, Galen and Dwight, Martelle, and Rita Vassar, Marion; a daughter-in-law, Vonda Darrow, Hiawatha; 13 grandchildren; 38 great-grandchildren; and 26 great-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her son, Darwyn; her parents; 11 siblings; daughters-in-law, Janet and Melva; a son-in-law, Everett Vassar; a great-grandson, Skylar Darrow; and a great-grandson-in-law, David Hultquist.

The family would like to thank the staff of Hallmark Care Center in Mount Vernon for the wonderful care Alta received.

Memorials may be directed to the family.