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Irene Catherine Koeppen
IRENE CATHERINE KOEPPEN
Marion
Irene Catherine Koeppen, 95, of Marion, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, at Terrace Glen Village. Irene was born on Nov. 21, 1926, to Fred and Mary Schutterle near Amana and graduated from Marengo High School. After high school, she moved to Cedar Rapids and worked in accounting and as a waitress. In 1947, she married Orlean Koeppen and had a family of five children who they raised in Midway.
Irene loved life and she lived it to the fullest every day. She loved to dance, play cards (and win), do crossword puzzles, crochet, tell jokes, tend her flowers and play with her dog, Buffy. But most of all, she loved spending time with her family and friends having fun and laughing.
She was active in the Elks Lodge and a life member of the VFW Auxiliary. She worshipped at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marion.
Irene is survived and lovingly remembered by two sons, Kent of Cedar Rapids and Gregg (Vickie) Koeppen of Alburnett; three daughters, Kim Cysewski (Tim) of Lincolnshire, Ill., Kristel Sandman of Cedar Rapids and Cheryl Brown of Hiawatha; grandchildren, Ben Kirchoff, Ashley Caton (Tom), Mallory Koeppen, Kelsi Koeppen, Kate McKechnie (Kyle), Mark Cysewski, Nicholas Seng, Matthew Brown (Kayla), Brent Brown and Corey Brown; and great-grandchildren, Brady, Alec, Jordan, Nina, William, Rico, Willa, Myla, Cameron, Lexie, Bentley, Anthony and Lee Roy.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Mary Schutterle; her husband, Orlean; three granddaughters, Christine Brown, Madison Brown and Nicole Seng; and her special friend of 17 years, Mike Rathjen of Marengo.
Funeral Mass: 10:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Marion, by the Rev. David O'Connor. A burial at Keystone Cemetery and a celebration of Irene's life will be held at a later date. Friends may visit with the family on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Teahen Funeral Home and after 9:30 a.m. on Friday at the church.
Memorial donations may be made to the Center for Enriched Living at www.centerforenrichedliving.org, a nonprofit providing support to people with developmental disabilities, or UnityPoint Hospice at www.unitypoint.org/cedarrapids/services-inpatient-hospice.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.
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