Katherine P. (Michelsen) Pyle

Katherine Pearl Pyle, 84, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010 at Careage of Clarion.

Funeral services will be held Friday, April 9, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. at the Holmes Lutheran Church, 2139 Hancock Avenue, Holmes, Iowa with Pastor Rich Taylor officiating. Burial will take place at Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion.

Visitation will be held on Thursday, April 8, 2010 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Ewing Funeral Home, 602 North Main Street, in Clarion and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Friday.

She was born at the home of her grandparents in Stilson, IA on June 5, 1925 to Michael Nathan Albert & Evelyn Vera (Wickline) Michelsen. She was three months old when her family moved to a farm south of Kanawha where she spent her childhood. Katherine attended country school - Amsterdam No. 9 and in 1942 graduated from Kanawha High School. After High School she worked at Hinson Mfg. Company in Waterloo and the P&G store in Clarion. Katherine met Raymond and they married on Sept. 30, 1944. In 1946 they bought their farm in Dayton Township. They spent 54 years farming and raising 6 children at Clarion. Katherine loved camping with Ray, Spencer Fair, Eminence Missouri Trail rides, Wright County Fair, and the 4th of July spent with friends. She loved cooking and baking. As a farm wife, she worked very hard raising several hundred chickens each year, dressing and selling them along with the eggs. She also sold cream to earn extra money for school clothes for her children. She lived in Wright County over 50 years and was active in Wright County Farm Bureau's young people's group, Birthday club, 4-H, and DELL Club. She was a breast cancer survivor. Katherine was a devoted member of the Holmes Lutheran Church. In 2003 she moved to a condo in Ankeny, there she attended lots of parties with family and enjoyed the BBQ's and especially the sweet desserts (Chocolate) and a good joke! Everyone said what a wonderful hardy laugh she had and how much she enjoyed life! She lived there until the summer of 2009 and then moved to Careage of Clarion. Katherine was the eldest of two children.

Preceding her in death were, her husband Raymond (1999), her parents, Albert & Evelyn Michelsen, her in-laws, Merle & Hattie Pyle, one brother, Howard Michelsen, two brother-in-laws, Robert and George, two daughters, Diane Pyle (1947) and Mary Pomerleau (1995) and one grandson Brandon Pyle (1978).

She leaves behind 5 children, Donna (Hamid) Ullah, Whitakers, North Carolina, Barb (Michael) Aubrey, Ankeny, Iowa, David (Dawn) Pyle, Marshalltown, Iowa, Sharon (Jeff) Montgomery, Belmond, Iowa and Betty (Butch) Niehaus, Clarinda, Iowa, 16 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.

Katherine's spunk, tenacity and spirit will be missed by her family and friends whom she loved dearly. A special thank you to Care by April of Ankeny, Careage of Clarion, and Hospice of Clarion for making many of our mothers last days as comfortable and as happy as possible.

Memorials may be directed to the Holmes Lutheran Church, Careage of Clarion or Hospice of Clarion.