Velma Secrest

Velma Secrest, 88, of Winterset, died Monday, June 1, 2015 at her home. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, June 4 at the First United Methodist Church, Winterset with burial to follow in the Moon Cemetery, rural Macksburg. A visitation will be held from 1 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, June 3 at Ochiltree Funeral Service, where her family will be present to receive friends from 5 to 8 p.m. Memorials may be directed to the Madison County Health Care System to be designated to the Hospice Suites. Velma was born June 20, 1926 in Madison County, Iowa; the daughter of Raymond and Ruth (Curtis) Boyd. She graduated from Winterset High School in 1943 and worked office jobs until her marriage to Leland Secrest in 1946. They were married on September 8th at the Penn Center Church and to this union three children were born, Judy, Ron and Larry. Leland preceded her in death, July 1966. Velma was a devoted wife and mother, raising her family on their farm near Macksburg. She moved to Winterset in 1972 and worked at the Sears Catalog Store for 18 years, retiring in 1991. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Winterset and always cherished her time in Macksburg as a member of the Wesley Chapel United Methodist Women. She was a member of the Colonial Guild, the Friendly Neighbor Garden Club, and volunteered at the Madison County Historical Society for a time. She was also a member of the Rochester Card Club, which she always looked forward to. She enjoyed traveling with friends, seeing sites from Hawaii to Australia. In her free time, she enjoyed her flowers and gardening and loved spending time crocheting and making afghans for all her grandchildren. Velma especially enjoyed time spent following her grandchildren’s events and watching sports. She is survived by her three children, Judy (Lynn) Thompson of Macksburg, Ron (Dorla) Secrest of Polk City, and Larry (Marg) Secrest of Winterset; 10 grandchildren, Mike (Teresa) Thompson, Jon (Lacey) Thompson, Jeff (Tina) Thompson, Matt (Samantha) Thompson, Tyler Casey, Ryan Secrest, Aaron Secrest, Nick (Aubrey) Secrest, Mitch Secrest, and Curtis Secrest; 14 great-grandchildren, Katie (Galen), Kyle, Jordan, Blake, Caleb, Cole, Seth, Lauryn, Owen, Noah, Logan, Carson, Mattie, and Liam; brother-in-law, Duane Bush; and sisters-in-law, Linda (Secrest) Janecek and Thelma Stevens. Velma was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her sisters, Dorothy Holtmyer, Marilyn Bush, and an infant sister, Leota Ruth; and brothers-in-law, Chuck Holtmyer, Marvin Secrest and Pete Stevens.