Nedra Shearer

Nedra Lee Shearer, 92 of Marshalltown, passed from this life to wait her reward, Wednesday February 12, 2014. Services will begin with a visitation Monday evening from 6-8 P.M. at the Marshalltown Church of Christ, 2205 S. Center St. A memorial service will be 11:00 A.M. Tuesday at the church, also. She was the second of four children born to Hans and Cora (Wheeldon) Schmidt in rural Howard County, Iowa. In her infancy they moved to Dillon, Iowa where her parents ran the general store. Later moving to a farm near Garwin and to Marshalltown where her father ran a neighborhood grocery at 415 N. 3rd Street. Nedra received her education at Dillon country two-room school, Le Grand and graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1937. At the passing of her mother at 10 she began to take on more work responsibilities with the family. During the war she worked in various defense plants in Kansas notably working with radio crystals and as a press operator for anti-aircraft artillery. After the war she moved to Chicago and worked for Service Agencies specializing as a keypunch operator. She married Neil R. Shearer and made her home in the Marshalltown area. They later divorced. To this union one son was born. She was employed by Fisher until her retirement in the early 1980s. She enjoyed gardening, the T-R crossword puzzle, and was a perfectionist when it came to crocheting. Nedra was preceded in death by her parents, one sister Angie Doupe, one brother Russel (Buster) Schmidt. Left to remember and celebrate her life is David Shearer her son of Marshalltown, a brother Lester Schmidt of Marshall County, a niece and nephews, and her special canine friend Suzie.