116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Mary Miles
MARY E. MILES
Cedar Rapids
Mary E. Miles, 79, of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Mason City, surrounded by her loving family, passed into the hands of God to be reunited with her beloved husband, Rolland, on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2015, at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids. Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 5, at St. James Lutheran Church, 1148 Fourth St. SE, Mason City, with Pastor Jeni Bohls officiating. Interment will be in Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 4, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City.
Mary was born Feb. 17, 1936, in Tyler, Minn., to Lyle and Sylva (Rullestad) Abrahamson. She graduated from Drake University. Mary was united in marriage to Rolland E. Miles on Aug. 13, 1961, and to this union three children were born – Pamela, Michael and Tami.
Mary's love of children led her to a lifelong career as an elementary school teacher, retiring from Garner-Hayfield in 1994 after 35 years of teaching in various communities.
Mary was a member of St. James Lutheran Church in Mason City, and was served by First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids.
Mary's greatest joy in life was spending time with her family and friends.
She was a wonderful wife, mother, friend and an especially amazing grandmother ("Na"). Mary touched the lives of everyone she met. To know her was to love her. Mary had the uncanny ability to cheer people up just by being around them, and was known for sacrificing things for herself in order to be generous to others.
Mary is survived by a daughter, Tami (Josh) Moore, and their children, Hunter and Spencer, of Cedar Rapids; a son, Michael (Carrie) Miles, and their children, Tristyn and Connor, of Olathe, Kan.; a sister-in-law and best friend, Janice Abrahamson of Mason City; three brothers, Lyle E. (Zoe) Abrahamson of Rochester, Minn., Stanley (JoAnn) Abrahamson of Bluffton, S.C., and Richard (Jean) Abrahamson of Edmund, Okla.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins, including two special cousins, Lois Prosser of Cedar Rapids and Shirley (Kay) Hill of Springville.
Mary was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Rolland, in 2011; infant daughter, Pamela; brother, Donald Abrahamson; and nephew, Stephen Abrahamson.
Memorials may be directed to First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids or St. James Lutheran Church in Mason City in Mary's honor.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.
Arrrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Mason City, IA 50401; (641) 423-0924, www.major
ericksonfuneralhome.com.
Daily Newsletters