Sonja Discher
Sonja Discher, 74, of Des Moines and formerly of Northfield, Minnesota and Marshalltown, Iowa, passed away on March 21, 2024 at Trinity Center in Des Moines, Iowa surrounded by her family. Services for Sonja will be held on Sunday, April 7, 2024 beginning at 1:30 P.M. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown. A visitation for family and friends will be held one hour prior to services. She will be laid to rest at Riverside Cemetery in Marshalltown. Memorials may be directed to the family for a later designation. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. Sonja May Shetterly was born on September 12, 1949 in Stuart, Iowa. She was the second of four children born to Henry Shetterly and Corinne (Wolfe) Peterson. She grew up in the Stuart and Menlo area and attended school in Pella, Iowa. She graduated in 1968 and attended Central College in Pella. Sonja later went back to school at Marshalltown Community College, graduating with her nursing degree in 1991. Sheworked as a nurse until retirement. In 1969, she was united in marriage to Ned Hedrick and together they had two children, Amy and Phil. She and Ned later separated in 1978. In 1980, Sonja was united in marriage to Paul Discher. She gained four additional children: Deb, Ann, John and Bob and she loved her big family. In 2000, she moved to Northfield, Minnesota and was there nearly 20 years. She returned to Des Moines after Paul passed away in 2018 to be closer to family.
Sonja and Paul attended Our Savior Lutheran Church in Marshalltown and attended various churches in the Northfield area. She loved traveling around the Midwest, taking spontaneous trips and spending time with family. One of her favorite places to visit was Branson, Missouri, where she would attend several musical shows each day. She was an excellent musician and loved to play the piano and flute, as well as sing. She would play in church, as well as playing the piano at the Marshalltown Mall around Christmastime. She loved her baby grand piano. She was an excellent cook and enjoyed setting a beautiful table, especially on vacations. When she was younger, she and her siblings Don, Vic and Teresa were known to sing with Bill Riley at the Iowa State Fair Talent Shows. She is survived by her children: Amy (Jeff) Graves and Phil (Mojgan) Hedrick; her step-children: Deb (Rick) Peterson, Ann Discher, Bob Discher and John (Tracy) Discher; her grandchildren: Kayla (Alex) Hood, Nicole (Julian) Graves Andrew Hedrick, Jordan Discher, Nick Discher, Craig (Nichole) Peterson, Jack (Isabel) Peterson and James (Amanda) Peterson; great-grandchildren: Ian and Colin Peterson; and her siblings: Teresa (David) Van Zante and Don Shetterly. She was preceded in death by her husband, Paul Discher; her parents, Henry Shetterly and Corinne Peterson; her step-father, Lane Peterson; and her brother, Vic Shetterly.