Mary Reidy

MARY LORETTA REIDY

Cedar Rapids

Mary Loretta Reidy passed away Monday, March 9, 2020, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy. Loretta was born June 17, 1922, to Tim and Marie (Cashman) McAleer in Monti, Iowa. When she was seven years old, her family moved to Ryan, Iowa. Her dad died in October of that year and she was raised by her mother, spending a lot of time with her grandparents, Tom and Elizabeth Cashman and family. She graduated from St. Patrick's in Ryan on June 2, 1940, and from Mount Mercy Junior College with an associate degree in secretarial training in May 1942. She went to work for Frank V. Orr, manager of the Wapsie Valley Creamery in Cedar Rapids, as secretary and bookkeeper.

On Feb. 17, 1944, she married Clement Reidy at Immaculate Conception Church in Cedar Rapids. They lived together 55 years, raising eight children on the Reidy Centennial Farm. Clem passed away in May 1999. In May 2000, she moved to a condo on Blue Jay Drive in Cedar Rapids and in September 2008, she moved to assisted living at Keystone Cedars.

Loretta was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Clem; daughter, Kay; grandson, Kurt; her brother, Robert McAleer; sister, Eleanor Monaghan; stepfather, John Duggan; and stepsister, Mary V. Mangold.

Loretta is survived by seven children, Marge of Dubuque, Sara (Joe Kane) of Cedar Rapids, Mary Pat of Marion, Teresa (Robert Horak) of Monti, John of Monti, Tom (Carla) of Rowley and Rita (Dave Moeller) of West Des Moines; nine grandchildren; 18 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation: 5 to 7:30 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services in Cedar Rapids. Funeral Mass: 10:30 a.m. with visitation beginning at 9 a.m. Thursday at St. Patrick's Church in Monti. Burial will follow in the church cemetery. Dinner will follow the burial in Monti Community Center.

Loretta's family would like to extend a special thanks to Father Ivan Nienhaus and Penny Ackerman from St. Patrick's Church in Cedar Rapids. Also, a special thanks to the Mercy Hospice staff and the staff and residents at Keystone Cedars who were like family to Loretta.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the charity of your choice. Please share your support and memories on Loretta's tribute wall at www.stewartbaxter.com under obituaries.

All who knew Loretta are grateful for her gentle, grateful spirit, deep faith and prayer life and beautiful smile. She will be missed greatly but we know she longed to be with her loved ones in heaven, so all REJOICE.