Helen Kiss

Helen Kiss, 88, of Mason City, died Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit. Funeral services will be held 10:30 AM Saturday, March 30, 2013 at Epiphany Parish, Holy Family Catholic Church, 714 N. Adams with Rev. Neil Monternach, celebrant. Interment will be in Elmwood St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 to 7:00 PM Friday at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue. A rosary service will be held at 6:30 PM followed by a scriptural wake service at 7:00 PM. Memorials may be directed to Holy Family Catholic Church or Hospice of North Iowa. Helen was born August 15, 1924 in Remschoss Germany, the daughter of Martin and Maria (Orth) Vollmar. One of seven children, she was raised in Germany and resided in Germany throughout WWII. During this time, she endured many hardships and the death of her mother at a young age. She received training as a beautician and worked in Germany for 9 years before bravely immigrating to the United States at the age of 26. Through the sponsorship of her brother, Joseph Vollmar, who lived in Bancroft, Iowa, she moved to Bancroft in 1951 and worked as a Nanny in Algona, Iowa. Through a mutual acquaintance, she met her husband, Guylas Kiss of Mason City, and they were married less than one year after meeting on August 16, 1952 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Bancroft. She resided in Mason City and was a member of Holy Family Catholic Church since 1952. Her most important and treasured role was as a homemaker and as a loving and devoted mother of 4 children. She also worked at Mode-O-Day Clothing plant as a seamstress, many years as a cook in the school cafeterias of the Mason City School District, and in later years joined her husband as a seamstress at his business, Guylas Tailors, until retirement. Helen was a member of Celeste circle of Holy Family Catholic Church, an avid cook, gardener, knitter, sewer, and card player and a volunteer with the senior activities center of Mason City. Helen is survived by her 4 children, Kenneth (Carol) Kiss of Dubuque, Patty (Steve) Bodine of Lakeville, Minnesota, Jon (Karen) Kiss of Mason City, and Caroline Kiss of Weaverville, North Carolina; 6 grandchildren, Kim Kiss, Aaron Kiss, Jennifer Kiss, Ross Bodine, Caitlin Bodine, and Tommy Kiss; and a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins. Helen was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Guylas; 3 brothers, and 3 sisters

Holy Family Catholic Church or Hospice of North Iowa