Blaess, Darlene Ione Harris

Darlene Ione Harris Blaess, 94, of Grinnell, passed into eternal rest on Oct. 22, 2013, at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell. Funeral services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 28, at Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell, with Pastor John Dodds of Grace United Methodist Church in Brooklyn officiating. A private burial will be held later that day at Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone. Visitation with the family present will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Smith Funeral Home.

Memorial contributions may be directed to St. Francis Manor, Grace United Methodist Church or Grinnell Hospice.

Darlene was born March 14, 1919, at Boone County Hospital in Boone, Iowa to John L. Harris and Estella Grace Richardson Harris Reid. She was raised on a farm north of Boone and graduated from Boone High School and then attended a beauty school in Des Moines.

On March 7, 1936, she married Marvin Henry Blaess in Boone and to this union two children were born: a son, Darrell Lee Blaess, and a daughter, Elaine Arlene Blaess Schafbuch.

She was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Brooklyn and the United Methodist Women's Group.

Survivors include her husband, Marvin; her daughter, Elaine Schafbuch; her daughter-in-law, Katie Blaess; seven grandchildren, Randy (Vicki) Schafbuch, Rodney (Lori) Schafbuch, Rick (Daneen) Schafbuch, Melanee (Mike) Stanbrough, Mike (Amy) Blaess, Mark Blaess and Chris Blaess; 10 great-grandchildren, Jennifer (Andy) Callard, Austin Schafbuch, Lexi Schafbuch, Dylan Schafbuch, Alexis Lynd-Schafbuch, Logan Schafbuch, Nick Stanbrough, Alex Stanbrough, Alison Blaess and Michael Blaess; and one great-great-grandson, Huxley James Callard.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her son, Darrell Blaess; a great-grandson, Jackson Blaess; one brother, Robert Harris; and two sisters, Ethel Jacobson and Arlene Alexander.

Published Oct. 25, 2013 in The Gazette