Madelin W. Shell, 96, of Grinnell died August 20, 2014, at St. Francis Manor in Grinnell. Funeral services are scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Sunday, August 24, at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell with Pastor David Brandt, Immanuel Lutheran Church in Grinnell, officiating. Soloist will be Judy Arendt. Burial will be in the Friends Cemetery in New Sharon. Visitation will be held one hour prior to service time at the funeral home. Memorials may be directed to the Madelin Shell Memorial Fund. Madelin was born near Woodbine, Iowa in rural Harrison County on July 8, 1918, to Lester and Lena Niemoller Patton. Her family moved to Nebraska when she was 12, and she graduated from high school in Homer, Nebraska. She received her teaching certificate from Wayne (NE) State Teachers College, and taught in rural Dixon and Wayne city schools for 11 years. On June 1, 1947, she was united in marriage with Marlen Emery Shell, in her parents' home in Dixon, Nebraska. They had two children: Marilyn Jean and Richard Marlen. The family moved several times because of Marlen's career as a public school administrator; they lived in Craig, Nebraska, Sewell, Massena, McCallsburg and finally New Sharon, Iowa while raising their family. Madelin was an active member of her Presbyterian church in each community, Garden Club, and was an American Legion Auxiliary member for over 50 years. She enjoyed golfing at Prairie Knolls Country Club in New Sharon, Bowling leagues and Women's Club. She attended innumerable school music and sports events over the years and was a great supporter of her children and grandchildren. Madelin was preceded in death by her husband Marlen, her parents Lester and Lena Patton, step-mother Elsie Patton, and sister and brother-in-law Anita and Gordon Casel. She is survived by her daughter Marilyn Wacker, son Richard (Barb) Shell, grandsons Robert (Jennifer) Walker and Adam Shell, and great-granddaughters Abigail and Kaitlin Walker.