A Mass of Christian Burial for Lois L. Neary of Grimes, formerly from Emmetsburg, will be held today, Tuesday, May 11, at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Family Catholic Church in Emmetsburg. The Rev. Bill Schreiber will officiate.
Interment will be in St. John's Catholic Cemetery, Emmetsburg. The Martin-Mattice Funeral Home in Emmetsburg is in charge of arrangements.
Visitation is prior to the service Tuesday, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Martin-Mattice Funeral Home.
The family requests that people please wear masks for the visitation and at the funeral mass.
Lois Lucille Neary, 94, passed away Friday, May 7, 2021 at Grimes.
Lois was born on Dec. 20, 1926 to Mildred (Ferguson) and Fred Lorig in Emmetsburg. Her family farmed in the Emmetsburg area throughout her childhood and she always kept in touch with her farm roots. She graduated from Emmetsburg Catholic High School in 1944.
After graduation, she briefly moved to Milwaukee, WI and Chicago, IL, until returning to Emmetsburg.
Lois worked as a bookkeeper for several local businesses including Neary Implement and Emmetsburg Grain She also maintained books for other small businesses during this time. She worked at Emmetsburg Savings and Loan for a number of years before joining the staff at the Production Credit Association until she retired in 1978.
In 1949, Lois married Hugh Neary at Assumption Church in Emmetsburg. They remained together in Emmetsburg for 66 years until Hugh’s passing in 2016.
Hugh and Lois were often seen together at church and community events. They enjoyed visiting with their friends young and old. She was a member of Holy Family Parish as well as a lifetime member of Catholic Daughters of America. She enjoyed competing, including bowling, golfing and cards, especially bridge. She and Hugh also enjoyed travelling, spending winters in Arizona and Texas, meeting relatives and visiting ancestral homes in Ireland, and seeing Pope John Paul II at St Peter’s Square at the Vatican.
Lois enjoyed quilting, creating stained glass, and gardening. She also felt blessed with the special time spent with her nieces, Kathy (Kliegl) Wright, Julie Kliegl, Joan O’Brien and Therese (O’Brien) Elsbecker.
After Hugh’s passing, Lois moved to Grimes to be nearer to her family members. She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; her sisters, Helen O’Brien and Mary Kliegl; her son, John and daughter-in-law Claudia; and her infant daughter, Anne.
She is survived by her son H. Michael (Jeannine) Neary of Urbandale; her son Mark (Johnna) Neary of Iowa City; grandchildren Shawn (Ashley) Neary, Meghan Neary, Melissa (Andy) Blegen, Kylie (Austin) Cole, and Brian (Katlyn) Neary; great-grandchildren Brody Blegen, Brock Blegen, Ivan Messier, Wendell Neary, Hugh Neary, and Callahan Cole. She also is survived by many nephews and nieces.
"Memorial contributions may be made to Holy Family Catholic Church/School in Emmetsburg or American Cancer Society"
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