Mary Kay (Willett) Cochran, 12 Nov 1944 - 22 Oct 2024

COCHRAN, WILLETT, KRUSE, KRIEGEL, GERARD, HUNTER, HAWKINS, MANATT

Posted By: Sarah Witte (email)
Date: 10/31/2024 at 15:58:52

Mary Kay Cochran, age 79 of Williamsburg, formerly of Marengo, died Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at the English Valley Care Center.

Memorial Services will be held at 6:00 P.M., Saturday, October 26, 2024, Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo, with Rev. Beth Harbaugh officiating. The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 P.M. on Saturday October 26, 2024, at Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo, prior to the service. Private Inurnment will be at a later date at Kent Church Cemetery, rural Brooklyn. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be directed to Safe Haven of Iowa County, or to the Millersburg Fire Department, where both Mike and Payton are members.

Mary is survived by her children, Jeff Kruse and wife Lisa of Marengo, and Lisa Gerard and husband Mike of North English; two grandchildren, Taylor Hunter and husband Jake of Wichita, KS, and Payton Gerard of Millersburg. Also surviving are her brother, Gene Willett and wife Lorraine of Brooklyn, sister-in-law Yvonne Hawkins of Brooklyn, along with many nieces and nephews. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, a sister Doris Manatt, and two brothers Dean and Dale Hawkins.

Mary Kay was born November 12, 1944, in Brooklyn, Iowa, the daughter of Glenn Willett and Josephine Kriegel Willett. She graduated from BGM High School with the Class of 1963. Mary and Larry Kruse were married June 29, 1963, at St Patrick’s Catholic Church in Brooklyn. The couple later divorced. Mary worked for many years at Conroy Rural Employment Alternatives (REA). She also was the school cook at Mary Welsh Elementary School, in Williamsburg. Both jobs filled her need to help others.

In her free time, Mary fed the birds and squirrels, and was rewarded with their comical antics. It was a favorite daily event. She enjoyed going out to eat, and socializing with everyone. Mary loved to laugh! Her family and her fur babies were very important in her life, and she loved them all dearly.

Published in The Gazette on October 24, 2024 and in The Hometown Current on October 30, 2024.