Mary Louise (Lou) Wade

Mary Louise (Lou) Wade

Ryan

Mary Louise (Lou) Wade, 72, Ryan, Iowa, entered eternal rest on October 26, 2024, after relentless battles with a multitude of ailments, testing her resilience on a daily basis over many years. Visitation for Mary Lou will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, November 1, 2024, at the Monti Community Center, 2854 Washington Avenue, Coggon, Iowa. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, November 2, 2024, at the Monti Community Center. Burial will take place at Silver Creek Cemetery, rural Ryan. Bohnenkamp-Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Manchester has assisted the family.

Mary Lou was born on April 8, 1952, the daughter of Bernard (Bud) and Margaret (Peg) Lyness. She was raised on the family farm near Ryan before graduating from West Delaware High School in 1970. Mary Lou was joined in marriage to Richard Wade at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa on July 26, 1971. Mary Lou worked at The Hut restaurant before being asked to join the staff at Citizens State Bank in Ryan, eventually retiring from Verizon.

Mary Lou is sure to be remembered for her friendly smile, her kind acts toward others, and for being no stranger to hard work. Many of her years were spent waking up before dawn to cook Richard breakfast and pack him a hot lunch, followed by morning chores. If she was lucky, she got in a short nap before it was time to get the kids off to school. By Fall each year, the basement shelves were lined with Mary Lou’s canned tomatoes, green beans, peaches, and beets. In addition, the freezer was stocked with frozen corn. Mary Lou also tended to gain some extra duties that were related to a “great” idea of Richards; racing greyhound dogs and raising turkeys to sell the eggs, just to name a couple. If you were a Cubs fan you were sure to have endured her heckling as she rooted on the Cardinals!

Taking care of children was one of Mary Lou’s greatest joys and strengths, not only of her own children but of others throughout her years. She treasured the times spent with her grandchildren and always held a special place in her heart for the children for whom she provided daycare. Even later in life, visits from little ones definitely brought a sparkle to her eye!

Mary Lou is lovingly remembered by her children, Jill (Dave) Kull of Park View, Cathy (Mark) Greif of Central City, Clint (Brandi) Wade of Walker; grandchildren, Tyler (Shany) Kull, Collin (Emma) Kull, Conner Kull, Kayla (Daniel) Pike, Lucas Greif, Christopher Greif, Claire Wade, Aubrey Wade, Evan Wade; great-grandsons Beauden Pike and Mark Brown; siblings, Dan (Helen) Lyness of Ryan, Bill (Lori) Lyness of Rowley; brother-in-law, Keith (Clista) Wade of Colorado, sister-in-law, Marilyn (Gary) Feldmann of Ryan.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard; parents, Bernard and Margaret Lyness; father and mother-in-law, Wilbur and Roberta Wade; sister and brother-in-law, Sharon and Allen Cassel; brother-in-law, Doug Wade; niece, Nancy Cassel; and great-nephew, William Wade Feldmann.

Please share a memory of Mary Lou at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.