Mary Duwa

A celebration of life for Mary Duwa, 90, formerly of Riverside, will be held Friday, August 12, 2011 at 10:30AM at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Riverside with Father Marty Goetz officiating. Burial will follow at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Riverside.  Visitation will be held Thursday, August 11, 2011 from 4-7PM at the Peterseim Funeral Home in Kalona where a prayer service will be held at 7PM.  A memorial fund has been established for the Mercy Hospital Hospice Unit and the American Diabetes Foundation.  Mary Duwa died Tuesday, August 09, 2011 at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City surrounded by her family.

Mary Louise Lillis was born August 30, 1920 in St. Mary's Hospital in Kansas City, MO, the daughter of George and Amanda (Danz) Lillis.  On January 16, 1943 she was united in marriage to Robert J. Duwa at Our Lady of Presentation Church in St. Johns, MO.  After attending Sanford Brown Business College, she went to work for Liberty Mutual Inc, and then changed to Curtis Wright Airplane, where she met the love of her life, Robert.  After the war they moved back to St. Louis where she was a housewife.  In 1953 they moved to Iowa where she learned to slop hogs, milk cows, and pull weeds.  When her children were small, she helped out at the farm and was a bookkeeper for Community Feed and Fertilizer, the feed company that the couple owned.  After the business was sold, she worked part time for Riverside Grain and Feed.  After her husband retired, they spent their time together on the farm.  Mary was a member of St. Mary's Church, Riverside and Holy Trinity, Richmond.  She loved to play cards, dance and take care of her flowers.  She also enjoyed collecting rocks.

Mary will be greatly missed by her children, Barb Simon (Rich), Sharon Simon (Bob), Pat Zousel  (Dewayne), Bobbi Keating (Brian), Steve Duwa (Linda) and John Duwa.  She was blessed with 15 grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

Preceding Mary in death were her parents, her husband Robert, son James, grandson Brian, and her sister Mae.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to Crestview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for their love and care of Mary.