Shayer, Irene Lundt

Irene Lundt Shayer, 87, of Tama, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2013, at Marshalltown Medical and Surgical Center. Funeral Services will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, AM at Christ United Methodist Church Worship Center in Toledo with Pastor Brian Oliver officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Hill Cemetery in Tama. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Kruse-Phillips Funeral Home in Tama.

Irene was the daughter of Walter and Pearl (Leonard) Lundt. She was born on Sept. 3, 1926, near, Elkport, Iowa, in Clayton County. When Irene was five years old the family moved to Chelsea, Iowa, where Mr. Lundt was a trucker, hauling rock for Tama County. In 1940, they moved to Traer where Irene attended high school graduating in the class of 1944. After graduation, she worked at a defense plant in Waterloo, Iowa, making gun covers for World War II.

On Jan. 20, 1945, she was united in marriage to Gerald Shayer at the First Lutheran Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. They celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on Jan. 20, 2013. They lived all of their married life in the Tama-Toledo area. Irene worked for the South Tama County School District as a secretary for 24 years, retiring in 1988. She was a member of the Christ United Methodist Church in Toledo, the Ruth Circle and the Oak Hill Cemetery Association. Irene especially enjoyed spending time with her family, cooking and baking, and traveling.

Survivors include her husband, Gerald of Tama; two children, Christine (Quentin) McCune of Tama and Joel (Andrea) Shayer of Launceston, Tasmania; two granddaughters, Jill (Scott) Hiestand of Elk Grove Village, Ill., and Jessica (Tom Jr.) Tesar of North Liberty; and three great-grandchildren, Emily and Brooke Hiestand and Tripp Tesar.

She was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Linda Ann; and a special cousin, June (Joe) Zittergruenlhm.

A memorial fund has been established.

Published in The Gazette Sept. 19, 2013.