Irene Oetker

Irene E. Oetker, 92, longtime resident of Haverhill, passed away early morning on Wednesday, July 20, 2022 at The Willows in Marshalltown, Iowa. A funeral mass for Irene will be held on Monday, July 25 at 10:00 A.M. at St. Francis of Assisi Parish – St. Henry Catholic Church in Marshalltown. She will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, Earl at Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery in Haverhill following services. Friends and family are also invited to attend a visitation on Sunday, July 24 from 4:00 to 6:00 P.M. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. Memorials in Irene’s name may be directed to St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque or to a charity of your choice. For additional questions or condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. The family would like to say a special “thank you” to the staff and family at The Willows, Unity Point and Iowa River Hospice Home for the loving care they gave to Irene. Born Irene Elizabeth Freese on December 31, 1929 in Rhodes, Iowa, she was the daughter of Lawrence and Clothilda (Kopel) Freese. After graduating from Van Cleve High School, she obtained her diploma as a Registered Nurse from Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. Irene was set up on a movie date with Earl Oetker and the two fell in love. After dating for one year, they were united in marriage on November 26, 1951 at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Haverhill. Together they purchased the Oetker family farm in 1970, where they lived until 2020, when they moved to The Willows in Marshalltown. The couple celebrated 69 years of marriage together before Earl’s passing in 2020. The same dedication and care that made Irene an excellent nurse made her an amazing farmwife and homemaker. She “nursed the neighborhood” and thoroughly enjoyed all the children that lived around them. Her love of babies and children lasted a lifetime, as she truly adored her time spent with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Irene was described by her children as “fair and firm.” If you needed her, she was there and family was very important to her. She was an active member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish – St. Henry Catholic Church in Marshalltown and a previous member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Haverhill, where she served as a lector, eucharistic minister and sang in the funeral choir. Irene was also a member of the Hospital Axillary with over 40 years as a volunteer, St. Monica’s Society and the Marshall County Pork Producers. In her free time, she enjoyed bird-watching, cheering for her favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, shopping on QVC, and watching Wheel of Fortune. She was an amateur genealogist, avid reader of the Times Republican and Des Moines Register (which she enjoyed reading aloud to people) and she loved her houseplants, especially her African violets. Left to cherish her memory are her children: Kathleen (Glen) Gwyn of Lexington, NC, LeRoy Oetker of Grundy Center, Joanne Lenox of Windsor Heights, Philip Oetker of Marshalltown and Paul (Kelley) Oetker of Marshalltown; 18 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren and two on the way; her sister, Marie (Don) Underwood of Marshalltown; daughter-in-law Jeanne (Heinrichs) Oetker of Marshalltown; sisters-in-law: Sally Freese and Alma Freese, both of Marshalltown; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Irene is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Earl; her parents, Lawrence and Clothilda; sons: Ronald Oetker and Daniel Oetker; brothers: Lloyd and Melvin Freese; daughter-in-law, Julie Oetker and son-in-law, Donnie Lenox.