Marilyn Rita McCreary

MARILYN RITA MCCREARY

Tama

Marilyn Rita McCreary, 84, of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Tama, passed away on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, at the Woodlands of the Meth-Wick Community in Cedar Rapids.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held

at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 21, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Tama with Father Dennis Conway as celebrant. Interment will follow at St. Patrick's Cemetery in Tama. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 20, at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home in Tama, with a vigil service at 7 p.m.

Marilyn was born Jan. 10, 1936, in Iowa City, Iowa, the daughter of Leo and Mary Lolita (Duwa) Anciaux.

She received her elementary education at a rural school, growing up on a farm one mile North of Iowa City. She graduated from Iowa City High School and Iowa City Commercial College before moving to California, where she worked for the Hartford Insurance Co. Returning to Iowa four years later, she worked for University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City.

On Feb. 10, 1962, she married Dr. Norman McCreary and moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he was stationed at Brooke Army Medical Center and she worked for USAA Insurance Co. They lived there for two years before moving to Toledo, Iowa. In 1986, when her last child was in college, she began working as an educational aide for the Tama Primary in the pre-school and kindergarten department, where she worked for 15 years until her retirement in 2001.

While living in the Tama-Toledo area, Marilyn was active volunteering in her community by teaching religious education, helping in the local schools, delivering Meals-On-Wheels, and providing ministry to nursing home patients. In her free time, she enjoyed gardening, baking, china painting and golfing on Tuesday evenings. Her favorite activity was spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Survivors include her children, Donald (Melissa) McCreary of Hiawatha, James (Catherine) McCreary of O'Fallon, Ill., and Karen (Edward) Pisney of Cedar Rapids; 10 grandchildren, Michael McCreary, Tyler McCreary, Sarah McCreary, Sam Pisney, Joseph McCreary, Abby Pisney, Jacob McCreary, Nathan Pisney, Zachary Pisney and Grace McCreary; one sister, Linda (Leonard) Tomcek of Hatley, Wis.; and several nieces and nephews.

Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband, Norman, in 2011; one granddaughter, Elizabeth McCreary; two brothers, Willis Anciaux, and Robert Anciaux; and one sister, Dolores Casebolt.