Mary Frances Conwell

MARY FRANCES CONWELL

Iowa City

Mary Frances Conwell, 78, of Iowa City, passed away Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, at Crestview Acres in Marion, Iowa of heart failure.

Visitation for family and friends will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City.

A Mass of Christian Burial will begin at

10 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Iowa City. Burial will follow in St. Joseph Cemetery in Iowa City.

Memorials may be directed to The Mary F. Conwell Memorial Fund.

Born July 25, 1941, in Iowa City, the daughter of Dr. Raymond DDS and Marie (Carrigg) Conwell, Mary grew up in Iowa City. She attended St. Mary's Grade School, Central Junior High and Iowa City High School. She was employed by Goodwill Industries, the Johnson County Courthouse and the Iowa City Senior Center.

Mary fondly remembers playing pool with her sister and brothers in the basement, with the winning prize a comic book. During summer vacations, her dad would rent a cabin in Wisconsin or Canada so they could go fishing. They also traveled to the Black Hills, Yellowstone National Park, a dude ranch in Wyoming and visited family in Chicago.

She was a longtime member of St. Mary's Church and St. Mary's Altar and Rosary Society. At age 38, she entered the Sacramentine Monastery in Conway, Mich., to become a nun, but ultimately decided this was not her calling. She was given a special faith in God and was devoted to it her entire life.

Her nieces in town were like her daughters. She loved to have her hair done at the salon by Beth. She lived in an apartment on Dodge Street and never drove, so Deb took her wherever she needed to go. While at Crestview, Katherine brought Mary her favorite treats: ice cream, Hershey bars and M&M cookies.

Survivors include two brothers, John Conwell (Sue) of West Bend, Wis., and Joseph (Paula) Conwell of Chester, N.J.; sister-in-law, Mary Jane Conwell of Riverside, Iowa; and nieces and nephews: Beth Mekota (Jeff) of North Liberty, Iowa, Deb Allgood (Troy) of Wind Lake, Wis., Katherine O'Brien (Michael) of Coralville, Iowa, Mark Conwell (Jen) of Marion, Iowa, Stephen Conwell of Heaven, Laura Conwell of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Andy Conwell of Riverside, Iowa, and Sandy, Chrissy, Jenny and Scott Conwell, all of Wisconsin.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Alice Conwell Shank; a brother, Dr. David Conwell DDS; and a nephew, Stephen Conwell.

A special thanks to the staff at Crestview, Essence of Life Hospice in Amana and St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marion for their compassionate care of Mary.

www.lensingfuneral.com