Colleen Marie (Leete) Frey

Colleen Marie (Leete) Frey

Fayette

Colleen Marie (Leete) Frey, 95, of Fayette, died Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at Maple Crest Manor in Fayette.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM, Monday, July 1, 2024, at the First United Methodist Church in Fayette with Rev. Josh Hanson officiating. Burial will follow at Grandview Cemetery in Fayette. Visitation will be from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Sunday, June 30th at the First United Methodist Church and for one hour preceding services at the Church on Monday. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to the Fayette Library or Grandview Cemetery in Fayette, Iowa. Becker & Son Funeral Home in Fayette is assisting Colleen’s family. Online condolences may be left at www.beckermilnesrettig.com.

Colleen was born on January 9, 1929, the oldest of nine children to Don and Lucy (Emerson) Leete in Volga, Iowa. She received her education at Highland Township and Volga Schools, graduating in 1946.

On January 11, 1947, she was united in marriage to John William Frey at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa and began farming near Wadena. In 1951, they moved to rural Fayette where they raised three children and continued farming until John’s death in 1994. They had been living in town since 1991.

Colleen was very active in the Methodist Church in Fayette and the American Legion Auxiliary in Wadena where she held offices at the local, county and district levels. She was also involved and attended all of her children’s activities and later her grandchildren’s. From 1962 to 2006 she delighted in baking cakes for all occasions, crafting countless wedding cakes along the way. She also enjoyed her time doing tractor work, bailing hay, and hauling corn on the farm. In 2016, Colleen transitioned to Maple Crest Assisted Living in Fayette. As her eyesight declined, she found solace in immersing herself in many audiobooks from the Fayette Library. Despite her visual challenges, Colleen’s memory remained sharp, never faltering when recalling birthdays or anniversaries for those around her.

Preceding her in death was her husband, John on April 30, 1994; daughter, Marsha Leahy on February 22, 2024; parents in 1967 and 2007; sisters, Jane Anderson in 2018; Donna Edman in 1987; and a brother, James Leete in 2022. Those left to share memories of her passing are her sons, Jack (Sue) Frey of Fayette and Randy (Rhonda) Frey of Cedar Rapids; son-in-law, Don Leahy of West Union; seven grandchildren, Andy (Betsie) Frey of Cedar Falls, Shayna (Matt) Zmolek of Tama, Tim Frey of Fayette, Jacob (Alicia) Frey of Toddville, Mitchell (Lindsay) Leahy of Cedar Rapids, Brooke (Eric) Raasch of Grimes, and Joby Frey of Toddville; ten great-grandchildren, Brayden and Kamryn Frey, Zophia and Stella Zmolek, Hunter, Jack and Ryker Frey, Brynn, Crew and Aubree Raasch; three sisters, Mary Kahrs of Arlington, Sharon Koehn of Elkader, and Audrey (Lewis) Larson of Somonauk, Illinois; two brothers, Karl (Mary) Leete of Elkader and Michael (Barbara) Leete of Springville; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, friends and relatives.

The family would like to thank the staff at Maple Crest in Fayette.