Iona Jeanette Manuel

Iona Jeanette Manuel, 90, of Mason City, died Monday, July 18, 2011 at the Muse Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit following complications from a stroke. Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church, 213 N. Pennsylvania Avenue with Pastor Kathy Graves officiating. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will greet friends and relatives at the church one hour prior to services on Friday. Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church, Hospice of North Iowa, Telephone Reassurance, or Iowa Public Radio. Iona was born December 9, 1920 in Charles City, Iowa the daughter of Henry A. and Ida (Eliason) Asbe. Her family later moved to Kensett where she spent most of her childhood years. Iona graduated from Kensett High School in 1938. Following the death of her father, a blacksmith, her family moved to Clear Lake. After graduating from high school, Iona lived with her family in Clear Lake and worked in several different positions in Clear Lake and Mason City. She left her office position at Mercy Hospital in 1943 to travel with one sister to join another sister and her husband in working at the Kaiser Shipyards in Portland, Oregon. She was trained as a pipe welder and took great pride in her work on Liberty Ships. Iona was united in marriage to Melvin J. Jim Manuel of Mason City at Zion Lutheran Church, Clear Lake, on February 3, 1944. Upon Jims return from the service in Germany, they settled in Mason City in 1945 where they raised their three children. In 1977, they moved to Louisville, Kentucky upon Jims transfer as a traffic manager for Armour and Company. They returned to Mason City in 1987 shortly before Jims death from a terminal illness. Iona lived independently at Briarstone Apartments until a stroke in late June. Iona was a homemaker to her husband and children. She was a loving, kindhearted, and caring woman to her family, neighbors, and the wildlife around her. Birds and injured animals often showed great trust in her concern and care. She and her family were members of Trinity Lutheran Church while living in Mason City. Iona was active in church circle and Bible School in her younger years. She was extremely close to her children and grandchildren. She had a great interest in current affairs and often saved clippings for her family. She was a great fan of Iowa Public Radio and college basketball. Iona is survived by her children, James S. Manuel and wife Cathy of Mason City, Robert A. Manuel and wife Linda of Ft. Collins, Colorado, and Kathleen A. Outlaw and husband Ed of Olathe, Kansas; 5 grandchildren, Steve and Tim Manuel, Christy (Manuel) Nilsson, Abby (Manuel) Loberg, and Mark Outlaw; 8 great-grandchildren, and 2 step great-grandchildren; siblings, Robert Asbe of Mason City, Esther Peterson of Iowa City, and Norma Jean Sweat of Merritt Island, Florida; several nieces, nephews, and cousins. Iona was preceded in death by her parents, husband Melvin, siblings, Luella Asbe, Doris Kueck, Gladys Asbe and Donald Asbe.

Memorials:
Memorials may be directed to Trinity Lutheran Church, Hospice of North Iowa, Telephone Reassurance, or Iowa Public Radio

Cemetery:
Interment will be in Memorial Park Cemetery

Visitation:
The family will greet friends and relatives at the church one hour prior to services

Service:
Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM Friday at Trinity Lutheran Church