Agnes Mikel, 86, of Grinnell, died on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at UnityPoint Grinnell Regional Medical Center.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 am on Friday, May 12, 2023, at St. John's Lutheran Church in Grinnell with Pastor Kari Lee, St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in Sully, officiating. The service will be livestreamed on the Smith Funeral Home and Crematory Facebook page. Interment will be at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell. A luncheon will follow at St. John's Lutheran Church.

The family will receive friends for visitation held from 5:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell.

Memorials may be designated to St. John's Lutheran Church and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home and Crematory, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with Agnes' family online at www.smithfh.com.

Agnes Ruth Hillmann was born the daughter of Elmer Martin Hillmann and Tena Marie (Pals) Hillmann in Grinnell, Iowa on January 24, 1937. She attended country school #7 near Grinnell and graduated from Grinnell High School with the class of 1955. Following her education, Agnes was a secretary at the local Ford garage.

Agnes was united in marriage to Wilford Wayne Mikel on August 24, 1955 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. They raised their eight children on the family farm north of Grinnell. They farmed together for over forty years.

Agnes held an ardent faith and she was a longtime member of St. John's Lutheran Church in Grinnell, where she taught Sunday School for several years and assisted with funeral luncheons. She was a member of the Sonora Grange. Wilford and Agnes enjoyed traveling across the United States in their RV and they wintered in Arizona for many years. Agnes loved life on the farm and spent countless hours tending to her large garden. She volunteered in making clothes for newborn babies at various hospitals. Her enjoyments were teaching her family and others how to knit, playing board and card games, and most importantly, being with her beloved grandchildren.

Agnes is survived by seven daughters, Debra (Steve) Styers of Omaha, NE, Laura (Ray) Hague of West Des Moines, IA, Connie (Craig) Weir of Grinnell, Diane Mikel of Walnut Grove, MO, Brenda (Joe) Hicks of Sussex, N.J., Amy (Randy) Heil of Phoenix, AZ, and Sarah Mikel of Las Vegas, NV; her daughter-in-law, Brenda Hagedorn of Grinnell; 16 grandchildren; several great grandchildren; and her siblings, Elaine Wilcke of Spirit Lake, IA, and Daniel Hillmann of Baton Rouge, LA. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Wilford Mikel in 2011; her son, Douglas Mikel in 2007; her infant daughter, Louise Ruth Mikel; and her brother, Elmer Hillmann, Jr.