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Darla Upah

January 11, 1936 — May 20, 2017

Darla Marie Upah, 81, of Marshalltown, Iowa, passed away on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at Unity Point Health in Marshalltown. The family will receive friends from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM on Wednesday, May 24, 2017 at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown, IA. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 AM on Thursday, May 25, 2017 at the funeral home. For more information or to send a condolence, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. She was born January 11, 1936 in Iowa City, Iowa to Edmund Ingenue Hick and Marie Elizabeth Svoboda Hick. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in Cedar Rapids. On June 20, 1964, Darla was united in marriage to Ronald Vencil Upah at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa. Darla is survived by her children; Keith and wife Yolanda Short of El Dorado Hills, California and their son, Jordan LeVan; Jeffrey Upah of Los Angeles, California; and Cheryl and husband Dan Goos of Marshalltown and their children, Caitlin and husband Andrew Preston, Tanner Mansager, Cassidy Goos, and Lilian Goos. Darla is also survived by her great grandsons, Asher and Noah as well as other family and friends. Darla was known for her love of music and her musical skills, playing the piano, organ, accordion, and clarinet. After studying music in college, she played the piano and organ in church for many years while giving private piano lessons to students for over forty years. She also instilled her love of music into her children, all of whom play one or more instruments. Darla was also a loving and devoted wife and mother, always placing her family first. She raised three children while working full-time at Marshalltown High School, retiring in 2001. Somehow she found time to teach piano lessons, do interior design work to complement her husbands business, and look after her familys needs. She was also renowned for her skills with arts and crafts, crafting intricate, hand-made greeting cards that were always eagerly anticipated at holidays and that brought her joy to create and send. She was also known for her huge Santa Claus collection that was noted by an article in the local newspaper. Darla was available whenever someone needed her help. She was a loyal member of the Red Hat Society and of New Hope Christian Church, and she regularly volunteered her time for the Marshalltown Caring Center, New Hope Church, and Hospice. Above all, despite her arthritic pain and other medical challenges in later years, Darla never complained, and indeed she did everything she could to continue to support and promote the wellbeing of her family. She took great joy in getting to know her two new great-grandchildren, and she was filled with pride by her entire family, cherishing every moment she spent with them. She will be greatly missed. Darla was preceded in death by her husband, Ronald, as well as by her parents Edmund and Marie Hick.

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