Twyla Kathlyn Wells, 96, of Grinnell, IA passed away on May 27, 2025, surrounded by family at St. Francis Manor.

A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am on Monday, June 2, 2025, at Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell, IA. A private family burial will follow the service. Friends are invited for a luncheon following the service at the Elks Lodge in Grinnell, IA.

Memorials may be made payable to the St. Francis Manor Foundation or Grinnell Elks Lodge #1266 mailed in c/o Smith Funeral Home, PO Box 368, Grinnell, IA 50112.

Twyla Kathlyn Wells was born February 11, 1929, to John and Iris Augustine Barker on a farm near Libertyville, Iowa. The family moved to Keosauqua, Iowa, where she attended school and graduated from Keosauqua High School in 1946. Twyla moved with her parents to Grinnell, Iowa.

On November 6, 1949, she was united in marriage to Arthur Wells at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. To this union, were born three sons: Reg, Blaine, and Brent. They farmed in the Grinnell area and moved into town in 1972.

Twyla was a member of the Methodist Church and a charter member of the Grinnell Lady Elks. She also served as 4-H Leader for the Washington Merry Workers. She worked at several retail stores, Spurgeon's, Kramer Jewelry, Bill's Jewelry, and Wagon Wheels West.

Arthur and Twyla loved to dance and enjoyed Big Band and Country Music.

Twyla liked to cook and made good potato salad, pies, pickles and various food.

She loved her family and was very proud of them. The eight grandchildren and thirteen Great grandchildren were very special to her, and she loved talking about all of them.

Twyla is survived by her sons; Reginald (Mary) Wells of Grinnell, IA, Blaine (Lynda Van Tomme) Wells of Brooklyn, IA, and Brent (Teresa) Wells of Malcom, IA; her grandchildren, Tammy (Tim) Keigan, Tricia (Kevin) Kincaid, Justin (Mattia) Wells, Devin (Katy) Wells, Tia (Joe Bonaventura) Heishman, Shamus (Erin) Wells, and Taylor (Dado) Pavic; and her thirteen Great grandchildren.

Twyla was predeceased by her husband Arthur in 2020, parents John and Iris Barker, her brother Stanley Barker, sister-in-law, Lorene Barker, and grandson, Sean Wells.