Marie Viola (NORRIS) WOOKEY

NORRIS, WOOKEY, KINDER, VANDERPOOL, PIERSCHBACHER, COX, HUNT, BINNING, PEDERSEN, THURMAN, SKIDMORE, BOLES, HUNG, ROBERTS, MOLLISON

Posted By: Sharon R Becker (email)
Date: 4/27/2011 at 07:54:30

The Leon Journal-Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
Thursday, January 26, 2011

DEATH NOTICE:

WOOKEY, MARIE V., 97, of Mt. Ayr, Iowa formerly of the Decatur County area, died on Friday, January 21, 2011, at the Mt. Ayr Health Care Center in Mt. Ayr. Funeral Services were held at 10:00 a.m. at the Slade-O'Donnell Funeral Home in Leon, Iowa, on Monday, January 24, 2011, with Rev. Terry D. ROBERTS Officiating. Burial was in the Grand River Cemetery, Grand River, Iowa.

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The Leon Journal-Reporter
Leon, Decatur County, Iowa
Thursday, January 26, 2011

OBITUARY ~ MARIE VIOLA (NORRIS) WOOKEY

Marie Viola WOOKEY, age 97, the fourth of eight children born to William Robert and Goldie (KINDER) NORRIS, was born September 10, 1913 in Macon County, near blue Mound, Illinois. She died at the Mt. Ayr Health Care Center in Mt. Ayr, Iowa on Friday, January 21, 2011.

When Marie was about a year old the family moved to DeKalb, Iowa, a small town south of Van Wert. Her parents farmed and raised cattle. Three years later they moved to a farm southwest of Decatur, Iowa and then later to a farm southeast of Leon. She attended Hard Scabble School through the eighth grade. They attended Bethel Baptist Church near their home where Marie played the pump organ for services. She attended two years of high school in Davis City living with an older couple there. She did housework for her room and board. One evening Marie met William Day WOOKEY at a dance. Four days before her 18th birthday, Marie and Day were married at Hale, Missouri by his uncle, Rev. Ernie VANDERPOOL. They lived with Day's parents for a few months before moving to their own home. They were blessed with four children, Duane, Doyle, Merna, and Linda.

Family was everything to Marie. She was a great wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a hard worker, raised big gardens, canned her produce, and raised chickens. Many days she had homemade bread ready for the children when they got home from school. She attended Maple Grove Church in Decatur County. She enjoyed lunches at the Grand River meal site in later years. She got her driver's license at age 78 and had to sit on pillows in order to see over the steering wheel. She was little, but mighty.

Preceding her in death were her parents; husband Day WOOKEY on October 8, 1991; son Duane WOOKEY on June 30, 1991; and great-granddaughter Jessica PIERSCHBACHER.

Survivors include her children, Doyle and Doris WOOKEY and Merna and Corwin COX, all of Grand River, Iowa, and Linda HUNT of Creston, Iowa; daughter-in-law Norma BINNING and husband Gene of Grand River; grandchildren, Judy & Todd PEDERSEN, Curt & Sandy PIERSCHBACHER, Brenda & Max BOLES, Darin & Shelly WOOKEY, Kevin WOOKEY, Shari & Rex THURMAN, Brian COX, Chris & Suzanne COX, Tony & Kelli HUNT, Terry HUNT, Ty & Brooke HUNT, and Amy & Brian SKIDMORE; great-grandchildren, Jason PIERSCHBACHER, Melanie and Jordan PEDERSEN, Nate and Weston PIERSCHBACHER, Russell BOLES, Kayla and Brycen WOOKEY, Darcy ROBERTS and Josh THURMAN, Courtney and Austin COX, Jordan and Justin COX, Kenzie, Katelin, and Taren HUNT, Bryson, Arianne, and Kyler SKIDMORE, and Taylor, Bly, and Krey HUNG; great-great-grandchildren, Sawyer THURMAN, Kenzington ROBERTS, and Emaleigh PIERSCHBACHER; sister Mildred MOLLISON of Webster City, Iowa; nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.

Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, April of 2011