Irene Anonson

Irene Anonson, 97, of Charles City, Iowa, passed away peacefully Dec. 30, 2024 at Floyd County Medical Center surrounded by family.

Irene June McKee was born June 16, 1927, in Westfork Township, Franklin County, Iowa, the daughter of Willie and Vena (Van Horn) McKee. She was the third of six children. She attended country school and graduated from Hansell High School. On Aug. 5, 1945, Irene married Alvin Anonson. She farmed with Alvin first near Dougherty, Iowa, and then moved to a farm about 10 miles north of Charles City in 1955. It was here that they raised four children. She farmed with Alvin until his death and then continued farming with her brother-in-law, Lloyd. In 1993, she moved to an acreage closer to Charles City where she lived until her passing.

The joy in her life was her family. She loved to see her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren come to visit, which they often did. Her warm and caring nature made her a “mother” to everyone she met. Irene was an avid gardener. Each year she promised to reduce the size of her garden but that never seemed to happen. She was always eager to share her produce including apples which she turned into delicious pies. She tended to the yard work daily, and for Christmas last year she received the small chainsaw she had been wanting for years to take care of those pesky fallen branches. She was warned to only use it when supervised, but we know that didn’t happen. During the winter months, she kept busy doing 500-1000 piece puzzles but didn’t want to take them apart again, so some were stored complete under beds. Irene was a loyal Minnesota Twins fan and enjoyed a friendly rivalry with her sister, Lorraine, a Kansas City Royals fan.

Irene is survived by three daughters, Sandy Miller of Charles City, Barb (Tom) Youngblut of Osage, Deb (Roy) Schwickerath of Charles City and one son, Steve (Deb) Anonson of Fort Collins, Colorado. Also surviving are nine grandchildren, Tami Miller, Janan (Art) Wegner, Stesha (Jason) Nino, Chad (Jordana) Anonson, Shawna Pehrson, Trevor (Asia) Anonson, Stacey (Dan) Willman, Sarah (Mark) Leigh, Adam (Caroline) Schwickerath, 24 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. Also left to remember her are in-laws Dean Schrock and Eileen McKee, and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Alvin, brothers Wilbur, Harold, Marvin and Robert, sister Lorraine Schrock, brother-in-law Lloyd Anonson, and sons-in-law, Dale Miller and Richard Kranz. She was also preceded by in-laws Lola McKee, DeAlta McKee, Mildred and Arthur Grant.

She will be laid to rest with a private cemetery service for the immediate family. A Celebration of Life will be scheduled in the spring for extended family and friends.