Marguerite Bown

Marguerite (MaMaw) Bown, 102, died Sunday morning, October 3rd, while under the care of the Southridge Nursing and Rehab Center, her loving family and the Care Initiatives Hospice.Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, October 7th, at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. She will be laid to rest in the Riverside Cemetery. Visitation will be one-hour prior to the services. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Ph 641-844-1234. Born on October 26th, 1907, in Philadelphia, PA., she was the eldest daughter of Louis and Emma (Wiener) Wittmer. She received her education in the area of her birth.In 1927, she was united in marriage to Harold Bown in Philadelphia. They resided in Philadelphia for awhile until moving to Ohio, then Chicago and finally Des Moines. This is where they raised their family and she became active in the community, especially in the art and fine arts world. Left to cherish her memory are her children: Jane (Joseph) Fiore of Colorado Springs, Jim (Carol) Bown of Roanoke, VA, son-in-law Bill Beard of Clear Lake, Iowa, seven grandchildren: Bob (Connie) Beard of Marshalltown and their sons Rob and Nick (Deb Moore), Connie (Gary) Fontana of Colorado Springs and their children Jeffrey and Rebecca, Cathy Joel (Greg Roberts) of Englewood, FL and daughter Malea, Ann (Doug Renwick) Bown-Crawford of Arcada, CA and children Nicholas and Anthony, Jane (Bean) Logsdon in China and children Isaac, Noree (Jeff) Wegemeyer and Sally, Susan (Kenneth) Ward of Dixon, IL and children Samantha (Rick) Taylor and Casey and Stan Bown also of Dixon, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and her Southridge family. In death, Marguerite rejoined her parents, her husband who died in 1972, her daughter Nancy Beard who died in November of 2007, a grandchild who died at birth and three sisters- Leona, Gertrude and Emily.