Gwendolyn G. (York) Mallory
Gwendolyn G. (York) Mallory
Cedar Rapids
Gwendolyn G. (York) Mallory, 90, of Cedar Rapids, passed away on Friday, April 14, 2023.
A family funeral service celebrating Gwen’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, April 28, at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories, with graveside service and entombment to follow in Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.
Survivors include her brothers, Gale (Janet) Lea and Allen (Luanne) Lea; sister, Wanda (Gordan) Golsan; children, LaDonna (Roy) Flud of Oklahoma City, Okla., Frank York of Kansas City, Kan., and Kenneth (Deborah) York of Ocala, Fla.; seven grandchildren, Andrew (Kim) Dalrymple, Crystal (Jerry) McKee, Wendy Dalrymple, Paul (Danielle) York, Carolyn (Tom) Johnson, Dan York and Laura (Adam) Johnson; and 10 great-grandchildren, Jasmine, Levi and Cody Dalrymple, Jerry and David McKee, Gwenyth, William and Robert Dalrymple, Eden and Leah York.
Preceding in death were Gwen’s parents, Amos and Goldie Lea; her first husband, Kenneth York; and her second husband, Robert Mallory.
Gwendolyn Goldie Lea was born Dec. 2, 1932, in Boone, Colo., the daughter of Amos and Goldie (Cotter) Lea. On May 1, 1953, she married Kenneth R. York in Pueblo, Colo. In 1960 Gwen and Ken moved their family from Denver, Colo., to Hiawatha, Iowa, where her husband started work as an accountant at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids. That, also, started a long relationship between her family and Cedar Rapids First Church of the Nazarene, of which she was still a member at her passing.
Gwen was a loving and caring mother to her three children and opened her home to foster children and babysitting. She especially enjoyed regular family gatherings with her children and siblings. She and her husband, Ken, traveled extensively visiting Hawaii, Australia, Europe and throughout the United States.
Gwen always had a love for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and it showed in her involvement at the church. She participated in the choir, taught children’s Sunday School classes, worked on the missionary board and served as a secretary at First Church of the Nazarene briefly. She played in skits at the church! Gwen enjoyed playing the piano. Her children participated in vocal and instrumental music, as well. Every once in awhile you could hear the York family play an offertory at church with LaDonna on the organ, Frank on the cornet, Ken (son) on the trombone and Gwen on the piano.
After nearly 50 years of marriage her husband Ken passed away. It was devastating for her. Then after two years a new love developed that culminated in the wedding of Gwen to Robert Mallory in 2005. They started afresh in a new house and enjoyed their lives together at that residence for several years before deciding to move into Meth-Wick Manor in 2015. Both Robert and Gwen lived out the rest of their lives at Meth-Wick with Robert preceding her in death last May.
In lieu of flowers, you can donate to the hospice group Compassus or to Nazarene Compassionate Ministries.
Online condolences may be left at www.cedarmemorial.com under obituaries.