Mary Fenske, 86, of Grinnell, died on Friday, December 2, 2022 at her home.

Visitation will begin at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell and her family will receive friends from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm.

A private family service will be held at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell.

Memorials may be designated to the Mary Fenske Memorial Fund and mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with her family online at www.smithfh.com.

Mary was born on July 23, 1936, in Ludlow, Vermont to Kenneth and Mary Ellen (Coleman) Farrand. The oldest of 3 girls, she later graduated from high school in Memphis, Tennessee. She made sure we all knew that she attended school with Elvis Presley! She was raised by her mother and stepfather, Olan T. Walton, a Navy man. Through her stepfather she met the man she would be married to for 59 years.

On June 16, 1956, she was married to Eugene T. Fenske in Pensacola Florida. They migrated to Iowa where the Fenske family resided. Gene started teaching in Grinnell and they lived the remainder of their marriage there and raised 3 children: Kathy, Paul and Steve. Mary worked for over 20 years at Friendship Manor Nursing home and then over 20 years at Grinnell Regional Medical Center as a Nurse's Aid. She was a gentle and caring woman and loved the work that she did.

Mary was a woman of very strong faith. She and Gene attended The First Baptist Church for decades and she was very active in the church activities and loved her church family. She also enjoyed taking care of her beautiful flower beds and was probably happiest in her kitchen cooking.

Mary's greatest joy was her family. She felt so blessed to have her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren living close and being able to spend time with them often. Endless memories will be forever cherished by her family.

She is survived by her children, Kathy Clark and Steve Fenske, both of Grinnell; her grandchildren, Denny Clark, Andrea Bartlett, Nick (Amelia) Clark, Kirsten (Quinn) Norton, and Carra Fenske; her great grandchildren, Reagan, Sam, and Max Bartlett, Laynie and Katie Clark, Collin, Bryant and Raef Clark; and her sister, Paula Reidel of Tampa, Florida; as well as several nieces and nephews.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Gene in 2016, her son, Paul; son-in-law, Dick Clark; and her sister, Cathy Finklea.