Marlys Van Hauen

Marlys Ann (Struck) Van Hauen, 81, of Urbandale, passed away on February 24, 2019 at Mercy Hospice, Johnston.  A memorial gathering will be held Thursday, April 18 from 4-7 PM at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory, 8201 Hickman Rd. Urbandale.  Memorials may be directed to the family or donated directly to Iowa Radio Reading Information Service (IRIS). Caldwell Parrish Urbandale Funeral Home is caring for Marlys and her family. Marlys (Struck) Van Hauen was born on April 4, 1937 in Waterloo to her parents Fred and Helen (O’Leary). She attended school in Waterloo, graduating with the class of 1955.  After graduation, Marlys went on to Iowa Teacher’s College, where she received her two-year teacher’s degree in elementary education.  She then began teaching at Dike Elementary, where she met Stanly Van Hauen.  Marlys was united in marriage to Stan on August 9, 1958, and together they had three children, Ann, David, and Ellen.  Marlys went on to complete her four-year college degree at UNI, and was later hired by AT&T, where she worked for nearly 25 years.  Marlys and Stan divorced in 1985.  Marlys (Marly) prided herself on staying active and looking and acting much younger than she was. She looked forward to golfing in the Willow Creek Women’s Golf Club yearly since the early ‘90s. She loved music, performing with the Urbandale Senior Singers at many events, and her weekly discussions with the Timely Talkers, where she started each meeting with a new joke. She could be heard reading the mid-week advertisements for the Iowa Radio Reading Information Service (IRIS) since 1997, was an active member of the Plumwood Board of Directors, and even found time to play cards weekly with the other residents.  But most of all, Marlys loved her family. She surrounded herself with pictures from family events throughout the years: Christmas celebrations, weddings, graduations and even a body building show.  She enjoyed attending as many family functions as she could, and loved to watch her grandchildren and great grandchildren grow.  Marlys is survived by her loving children: David (Gale) Van Hauen of North Liberty and Ellen (Dan Hesse) Rued of Elko, MN; grandchildren Matt, Josh, Justin, Chelsey, Erin, Lindsey and Colton; great grandchildren Jackson, Naomi, Jarek and Rhett; sister Ila Dineen of Woodbridge, CT.  Marlys was preceded in death by her parents, brother Jerry, and daughter Ann.