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.
Viola Koster
VIOLA KOSTER
Marion
Viola Koster, 94, of Marion, passed away Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, at Bickford Cottage in Marion. Services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at the Cedar Memorial Chapel of Memories. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 7, at the Chapel of Memories Stateroom. Burial: Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.
Viola (Kinnaman) Koster was born Sept. 15, 1925, to Lee "Guy" and Letha Kinnaman, in Alma, Neb. She grew up in a large household with several brothers and sisters in Nebraska. One of her passions was playing trumpet. Starting young, she won awards in high school, and continued in Iowa regional groups including the Eastern Iowa Brass and New Horizons bands. She enjoyed teaching, beginning in a one-room schoolhouse, and concluding at Kirkwood with Master Gardener classes. She wrote columns in various publications on horticulture, and managed the garden center at Bezdek's for more than 30 years. She was known as the "Garden Lady" in the Cedar Rapids area. She will be missed dearly by her family and friends.
She is survived by daughters, Annora McDougall of Cedar Rapids and Loretta (William Schmidt) Koster of Houston, Texas; grandson, Ian Koster; and a grand cat, Jack.
Viola was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond; her parents; and her brothers and sisters.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Bickford Cottage, Marion, Iowa.
Online condolences may be left at cedarmemorial.com.
Daily Newsletters