Fern Weir

Fern Weir

Iowa City

Fern Weir of Iowa City peacefully passed away at her son’s home on March 1, 2024, at the age of 99.

Fern Vernell Dannen was born at her family’s farm early on August 15, 1924, in Van Cleve, IA to Thomas and Margaret (Smith) Dannen. She graduated from Van Cleve Consolidated High School as valedictorian of the Class of 1941. She then attended Marshalltown Business School where she met Harold Weir. In 1946, Fern married Harold Weir at The Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA. For the next four years Fern worked for University Campus Stores while Harold attended The University of Iowa. In 1950, the couple settled in Marshalltown, IA to be closer to each of their families and began their own family of three children.

In 1962, Fern and Harold returned to Iowa City when Harold took a civil service job with the VA Hospital. Fern was busy raising their children and spent many hours volunteering at the schools and their church. In 1964, Fern went to work part-time as a typist for Measurement Research Center in Iowa City. She later began full-time work in the accounting department and worked at Westinghouse Learning Corporation for seventeen years before taking early retirement when that company was sold. In 1986, she took a “temporary job” as the church secretary at her church, The Congregational United Church of Christ. Fern was very active in the church both as a member and as the secretary/business manager. Twenty years later at the age of 80, she finally retired from her church job in order to care for Harold who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.

Fern and Harold spent many years square dancing with a local club, even dancing on moving floats in local parades. Fern loved cooking and baking, especially if it involved her own creative recipes she would invent. Pineapple macaroni and cheese!! She also loved to garden and sew. She was a talented seamstress, making most of her own outfits, including her purple pantsuit that always was her go to outfit. Above all the other hobbies and interests that Fern had, family was her greatest joy. Nothing meant more to her than spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

If you knew Fern, you knew that she was fiercely independent up until her later years. She was full of life and according to her was not yet OLD at 99. Fern’s love for her family and sense of humor will be dearly missed.

She is survived by her three children, Alberta Weir Aldahl of Northfield, MN; Clayton (Diane) Weir of Coralville, IA; and Dale (Anne) Weir of Iowa City, IA; son-in-law George Aldahl of Northfield, MN; five grandchildren, Peter Aldahl (Holly Carlson) of Rosemount, MN; Timothy Aldahl (Megan Braun Aldahl) of Northfield, MN; Larissa Weir (Maria) of Fairfax, VA; Jennifer Gloria of Phoenix, AZ; and Nathan Weir of Iowa City, IA; and nine great-grandchildren, Jay, Aidan, Vincent, Owen, Maxton, Garrett, Greyson, Andrew, and Allison.

Fern was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 62 years, her siblings Elizabeth Gowdy, Ardys Luiken, Shirley Mehlow, and George Dannen, and many brothers- and sisters- in-law.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to UnityPoint Hospice, Cedar Rapids.

Online condolences may be sent to her family at www.lensingfuneral.com.