Marlene Stecher

Marlene Stecher, 79, of Clarion passed away Thursday, August 8, 2013, at Iowa Specialty Hospital in Clarion.

A memorial Mass for Marlene Stecher will be held on Saturday, August 10, 2013, at 10:30 AM at St. John’s Catholic Church, 608 2nd Avenue North East, in Clarion with Father Nils Hernandez and Deacon Dr. Michael Whitters officiating.  Interment will take place at a later date at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery.

A memorial gathering will be held on Friday, August 9, 2013, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Ewing Funeral Home, 1801 Central Avenue East, in Clarion with a Rosary service beginning at 4:00 PM.

Marlene Helen Reiman was born on July 18, 1934, to Joe and Elenor (Hoffman) Reiman in Carroll. She was raised in the Carroll area and graduated from St. Angela’s Academy (Kuemper High) in 1952. After graduation she moved to Des Moines where she worked at Bankers Life Insurance Company until her marriage to Richard Stecher on April 6, 1959.

She worked side by side with Richard on the farm until his death in 1983. In 1996, she moved into town, and continued to work on the farm with the boys, preparing meals and chauffeuring them around. She helped on the farm until her cancer diagnosis in the spring of 2012.

Marlene enjoyed walking, keeping her yard meticulous and going out to eat with the ‘golden girls’. She was a member of St. John’s Catholic Church, St. John’s Alter Society and was a Mother Teresa worker.

Marlene is survived by her sons, Scott (Pam Bradshaw) Stecher and his children, Alex and Sawyer and Doug (Katie) Stecher and their children, Chelsey and Adam; siblings, Don (Shirley) Reiman of Clarion, Val Page of Murrieta, CA, Harry (Sally) Reiman of Carroll, IA and Lue (Billy) Wanninger of Manning, IA; sister-in-law, Shirley Stecher of Clarion and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Stecher; parents, Joe and Elenor Reiman and an infant sister and brother.