Mary A. Kunkel (nee Benson), 89
Funeral services and a Mass of Christian Burial for Mary A. Kunkel (nee Benson), 89, a resident of Davenport, will be 10:00 a.m. Wednesday, January 25 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church, 417 Main Street, downtown Davenport. Burial will be in Davenport Memorial Park. Visitation will be Tuesday, January 24th from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. at the Halligan-McCabe-DeVries Funeral Home, 614 Main Street, downtown Davenport. There will be a family led rosary at 4:00 p.m. that all are invited to join.
Mrs. Kunkel died Friday, January 20, 2017, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice in Bettendorf following a brief illness.
Mary Ann Benson was born November 4, 1927, in Green Mountain, Iowa a daughter of Oliver and Elsie Mae (nee Bender) Benson. She was united in marriage to Cyril Joseph Kunkel on June 9, 1947, in Haverhill, Iowa. They were blessed to have celebrated their 65th Wedding Anniversary in 2012 prior to Cyril’s passing.
In earlier years, Mary worked at Lennox Air Conditioning and Heating in Marshalltown. Upon moving to Davenport she was a stay-at-home mom for many years until her children were grown. During those years she volunteered as an assistant girls’ basketball coach at St. Paul the Apostle Elementary School and at the Handicapped Development Center. Later she worked at Von Maur and Hallmark. She was most recently a member of St. Anthony’s Parish.
In lieu of flowers or plants, memorials may be made to the Handicapped Development Center, 3402 Hickory Grove Road, Davenport, IA 52803 in Mary’s name.
Those left to honor her memory include children and their spouses: Patricia and Hal Mann, Michael and Susie Kunkel, Jeffrey, Kathleen, Kevin and Richard Kunkel; grandchildren: Emily Mann, Jamie (Matthew) Thompson and Brian Myhre; great grandchildren: Ethan, Alyssa and Izac Thompson; her sibling, Dorothy Peterson; sisters-in-law with spouses Rosella (Robert) Hartwig, Esther (James) Nussbaum and Marilyn (Al) Safford; Judy Kunkel; as well as many nieces, nephews and friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and parents-in-law as well as siblings: Carol Rabjohn, Ronald Benson, Sammy Benson; brothers-in-law: Wilbur Kunkel, Urban Kunkel, Edwin Kunkel, Elmer Kunkel, Joseph Rabjohn and Donald “Pete” Peterson; and sisters-in-law: Coleen Kunkel, Delores Kunkel, Carmen Kunkel, Shirley Kunkel, Viola Kunkel and Betty Benson. May they rest in peace.
Her family wishes to express a heartfelt thank you to both the staffs at the Kahl Home and Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House, for the loving care and compassion shown to Mary these past few months.
Online remembrances and condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting Mary’s obituary at www.hmdfuneralhome.com.