Orphan Train Riders to Iowa

Orphan Train Riders
to
Iowa

~ In Memoriam ~

Madonna Maree Harms
Rolfe, Pocahontas, Iowa
17 October 1929 ~ 15 May 2005

	Madonna Harms was co-coordinator of the original Iowa Orphan Train Riders, IAGenWeb Special Project . She was the long-time archivist for Iowa Orphan Train Records and was known to many as the "Orphan Train Lady". Madonna organized rider reunions and volunteered hundreds of hours of help to researchers.
photo courteousy of Audrey Simonson

Rolfe, Iowa --- A prayer service for Madonna M. Harms, 75, was held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 17, at the Powers Funeral Home, Rolfe, with Sara Galindo officiating

She was born October 17, 1929, in Waterloo, Iowa, the daughter of Perry J. Hoffey & Agnes L. Cosgrove. She attended school at Ottumwa Heights Academy in Ottumwa, Iowa, graduating in 1947. She went on to nurses' training at Sioux Valley Hospital, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, from 1947 to 1949.

Madonna married Howard B. Mullinix January 17, 1949, at Luverne, Minne., and lived in Canton, South Dakota, where she was an officer of the VFW Ladies Auxilliary..

She married William H. Harms November 16, 1963, at South Sioux City, Nebraska. They made their home in Sioux Falls, later moving to Lakewood, California.

Madonna achieved her Master's Degree in nursing in California and was a member of the American Association of Medical Assistants. More recently, she was president of the Pocahontas Genealogical Society and vice-president of the National Orphan Train Society.

In October of 1990, they moved to Rolfe, Iowa, and have lived there since that time.

Her hobby was genealogy, and she took great joy and pride in tracing her family tree as well as that of her husband, Bill.

Madonna was preceded in death by her parents; a daughter, Marilee K. Mullinix; a daughter, Gayle Mullinix; and a great-grandson, Joseph L. Collins.

Survivors include her husband, Bill; her children, Marsha and Tom Ingebretson of Columbia Heights, Minnesota., Michael Mullinix of Humboldt, Iowa, Ronald Mullinix of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Robin Mullinix of Pocahontas, Iowa, and Douglas E. Harms of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 16 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Visitation was Tuesday, May 17th, at Powers Funeral Home, 500 Garfield St., Rolfe, Iowa, from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. A Prayer service began at 7:00.

A second service was held at Miller Funeral Home, 507 S. Main St., Sioux Falls, at 1 p.m. Thursday, May 19th. Burial followed at Trent Cemetery, Trent, South Dakota.

~ source: The Record- Democrat, Rolfe, Iowa, Wednesday, May 25, 2005, Page 4B, column one

Note: A second obituary can be found on the IAGenWeb Memorial Page from the Sioux Falls South Dakota, Argus Leader

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