Marie Gail Ellingson
March 26, 1935 — January 1, 2024
Marie Gail (Speas) Ellingson, 88, of Marion, Iowa, passed away with loving family nearby, at 4:30 a.m. on, on New Years Day, Monday, January 1, 2024, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy in Hiawatha, Iowa. The family will greet friends from 9 - 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion, with a Memorial Service to begin at 11 a.m. Burial will follow at Mt. Clark Cemetery in Central City, Iowa.
Marie was born on March 26, 1935, in Union, Iowa, the daughter of Clarence Raymond and Goldie Iola (Clark) Speas. She learned an important life lesson at the age of three when she came down with polio and she related an out of body experience. She learned that to be a Christian, you are able to talk with God about your life. It’s quite possible that God knew she would encounter many challenges in life above her ability and control. This lesson helped her with unbelievable odds where she had no one to help her but God. Loneliness. She faced these challenges alone, but she had found a friend, a confidante, and Savior in Jesus. Hardship? Yes! But she had found something that most people live without.
After graduation, Marie worked at the Marshall County farm near State Center and also served at a café in Pella, Iowa. She landed a job at the University of Iowa and became a sought-after operating technician. In 1957, she met and married Orville Maynard Ellingson in Emmetsburg, Iowa. To this union, three sons were born, Dean, Dale, and David. Marie dedicated her life to family and farming. Besides being a great cook and an immaculate housekeeper, she also could be seen doing more farm work than many men. These times were hard, with manual labor, tending the livestock, driving heavy equipment, working the land, and harvesting crops. She loved living and raising the family on the farm, and she was excited to be able to follow her boys’ activities. The couple began farming over 500 acres near Curlew, Iowa. In 1969, they moved near Cedar Rapids, where, in time, they were able to buy a farm near Walker, Iowa, and also a small farm near Lime Springs.
Besides her relationship with Jesus, she was a member of the Lutheran Church, active in politics, and a community servant. Marie had been living under assisted living for the last 15 years. She was best known for her sharp memory, pleasant personality, and loving care of others. She especially loved her boys and attending family functions. Marie will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
She was preceded in death by her parents and both sets of grandparents. Many of her descendants have lived and died in Marshall County areas. Most of Marie’s siblings have already passed away, including infant sister, Arlene Speas; sisters, Ruby Blankenship and Ivagene Beckett; and brothers, Wayne, Larry, Willard, Merrill, Kenneth, and Keith Speas.
Marie is survived and lovingly remembered by her sons, Dean (Mayka) Ellingson, Dale (Diana) Ellingson and David (Carla) Ellingson; many grandchildren; brother, Jerrold “Jerry” Speas; sister, Joy Hartz; and ex-husband, Orville Ellingson. God bless them all.
Marie was born on March 26, 1935, in Union, Iowa, the daughter of Clarence Raymond and Goldie Iola (Clark) Speas. She learned an important life lesson at the age of three when she came down with polio and she related an out of body experience. She learned that to be a Christian, you are able to talk with God about your life. It’s quite possible that God knew she would encounter many challenges in life above her ability and control. This lesson helped her with unbelievable odds where she had no one to help her but God. Loneliness. She faced these challenges alone, but she had found a friend, a confidante, and Savior in Jesus. Hardship? Yes! But she had found something that most people live without.
After graduation, Marie worked at the Marshall County farm near State Center and also served at a café in Pella, Iowa. She landed a job at the University of Iowa and became a sought-after operating technician. In 1957, she met and married Orville Maynard Ellingson in Emmetsburg, Iowa. To this union, three sons were born, Dean, Dale, and David. Marie dedicated her life to family and farming. Besides being a great cook and an immaculate housekeeper, she also could be seen doing more farm work than many men. These times were hard, with manual labor, tending the livestock, driving heavy equipment, working the land, and harvesting crops. She loved living and raising the family on the farm, and she was excited to be able to follow her boys’ activities. The couple began farming over 500 acres near Curlew, Iowa. In 1969, they moved near Cedar Rapids, where, in time, they were able to buy a farm near Walker, Iowa, and also a small farm near Lime Springs.
Besides her relationship with Jesus, she was a member of the Lutheran Church, active in politics, and a community servant. Marie had been living under assisted living for the last 15 years. She was best known for her sharp memory, pleasant personality, and loving care of others. She especially loved her boys and attending family functions. Marie will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.
She was preceded in death by her parents and both sets of grandparents. Many of her descendants have lived and died in Marshall County areas. Most of Marie’s siblings have already passed away, including infant sister, Arlene Speas; sisters, Ruby Blankenship and Ivagene Beckett; and brothers, Wayne, Larry, Willard, Merrill, Kenneth, and Keith Speas.
Marie is survived and lovingly remembered by her sons, Dean (Mayka) Ellingson, Dale (Diana) Ellingson and David (Carla) Ellingson; many grandchildren; brother, Jerrold “Jerry” Speas; sister, Joy Hartz; and ex-husband, Orville Ellingson. God bless them all.
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