Marion Rich, 97 of Glidden, died Wednesday, February 26, 2025 at Rolling Meadows Senior Living in Carroll.
Mass of the Christian Burial will be celebrated at 1 p.m., Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Glidden. The Celebrant will be Fr. Patrick Behm. Music will be provided by Mary Ross and Michael Bolton. Lector for the Funeral Mass will be Lynn Stork. Eucharistic Minister will be Judy Mayer. Casket Bearers will be Karl Swanson, Lars Swanson, Greta Swanson, Molly Navratil, Emily Clover, and Sadie Rich. The Glidden American Legion Auxiliary will form and honor guard for the Funeral Mass. Burial will be in Merle Hay Memorial Cemetery in Glidden.
A visitation will be held on Monday at the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll with at rosary at 4:45 p.m. Following the rosary, visitation will continue until 7 p.m. The casket will be moved to the church on Tuesday where additional visitation will be from 12-12:45 p.m. prior to the Funeral Mass. Memorials may be left at the funeral home or the church for New Hope Village. Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Sharp Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for Marion’s family at www.sharpfuneral.com.
Marion Ann Underberg Rich often said that she was born “bright and early on a Sunday morning May 1, 1927 at home according to her mother. She was the 4th and last child of Margaret Nees and Alois Underberg. Her father died when she was 14 and her mother was remarried much later to Anton B Mosman, who had run a paint store in Carroll and also painted landscapes,
Marion attended St Lawrence’s School and later St Angela’s Academy. She graduated from the St Anthony School of Nursing and enjoyed a long career, in her chosen work, interrupted to raise her own children.
She married Lewis Rich of Glidden in November of 1950, and they settled in Glidden on a farm near town owned by Lewis’ father Clyde and later moved to the bigger home that Lewis had been raised in, nearby. They farmed until Lewis’ death in the summer of 2010. Together they raised 5 children, welcomed 6 grandchildren and delighted with 3 great grandsons.
Marion often said that she liked living in Glidden, more than Carroll. She was active in Entre Nous. Additionally, she and Lewis were avid bridge players and frequently got together with friends and neighbors for games. Marion was a devout Catholic and deeply appreciated the building of St Elizabeth Seton Church in Glidden. She was a faithful choir member until shortly before moving into independent care at Acura in Carroll.
Marion was a good piano player and would frequently buy sheet music from a store in Carroll. She preferred popular tunes, scores from musicals and Beethoven. She enjoyed rousing the family with “Seventy-Six Trombones” from The Music Man by Meredith Wilson. She had a wonderful sense of humor.
She worked as the school nurse at Glidden Ralston Community School and was acquainted with many of the children. She frequently reread thank you notes from classes, for whom she had taught classes in first aid. Prior to this, she also worked for the county office of Head Start, teaching home first aid, health and dental care, and was a committed advocate for early childhood intervention programs.
During Lewis’ stint as a county supervisor, he was appointed to the Iowa State Council of Human Services by the former Governor Ray. The council reviewed current resources available for disabled persons in Iowa and made recommendations for future projects. With Marion, he worked with other community, county and state activists to help build New Hope Village in Carroll. They considered themselves very fortunate to have Tracy living in one of the group homes in Glidden.
She is survived by her daughter Margaret, mother to Karl and his partner Melinda, Greta and husband Daniel Mirkovic, and Lars Swanson; her son Kevin and his partner Laura Page, her son Jeff and his wife Sue, nee Wavra, and their three daughters Molly, and her husband, Matt Navretil, their children, Milo, Leo and Arlo; Emily and her husband Elijah Clover and Sadie; and her daughter Tracy.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings, Ruth Williams, Alvin Underberg and Ethel Sullivan, her husband Lewis and oldest son David. Throughout their lives, she was very close to her mother and sister Ethel.
