Merna Kinney

Services for Merna Kinney were held 1:00 p.m. Saturday, December 17, 2011 at Hastings Funeral Home in perry, Iowa. Words of comfort were provided by Rev. Dori Collogan of the United Methodist Church, Chaplain for HCI. Music was provided by Marjorie Vannatta and Brenda Roberts. The hymns were "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere", "No Night There", "Beyond the Sunset" and "How Great Thou Art". Her casket bearers were: Jerry Weinzetl, Todd Anderson, Alex Brownlee, Scott Seeley, K. Don Rickles, and Ron Short. Her honorary bearers were: "Her Granchildren" Jerry Weinzetl, Jeff Weinzetl, Joel Weinzetl and Todd Anderson. Interment was in Valley View Cemetery in Perry, Iowa. Following the service and the cemetery there was a time of fellowship and refreshments at the funeral home. Merna Marie Kinney, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, was born on Valentine Day, 1916, the eldest of five siblings of Henry Harrison and Olive Pauline (Marchant) Derry, at the family home in Yale, Iowa, and died December 13, 2011 at the Perry Lutheran Home, Perry, Iowa, at the age of 95. The family resided in the Herndon, Jamaica, and Bagley farming areas. Merna attended the Jamaica schools, graduating with the class of 1936. On May 2, 1937, in Bethany, Missouri, Merna was united in marriage to Elston Fredrick Kinney of Perry, Iowa. In 1938 they moved to the family farm, located approximately six miles north east of Panora, Iowa. This farm became a Century Farm. In 1977 they retired from farming and moved to the Kinney ancestral home at 607 Grove Street, in Perry. This home had been built by Horatio Gils, a grandfather of Elston. Six months out of the year, they resided at their winter home in Alamo, Texas. Merna was always busy, never idle. She worked alongside her husband with the farming operations. Merna was a homemaker and a wonderful cook. She was always happiest when she had a hammer in her hand, either building something or remodeling her home. Merna loved to sew, making a lot of clothes for herself and her daughters. Merna also loved flowers, gardening, and crocheting. She created many beautiful doilies. In her later years, she took up quilting and enjoyed giving many of her lovely quilts to her family and friends. Merna and Elston enjoyed fishing, camping, playing cards, dancing, and belonging to a Square Dance Club. Throughout her life, Merna had a gift for making others smile. With her incredible sense of humor, she brought color, beauty, and fun to everything she touched. Those left to cherish the wonderful memories of Merna are her two daughters and their husbands, Jane Ann and Robert McCaffrey, of Boone, Iowa and Merna Jean and William Lullmann of Storm Lake, Iowa; five grandchildren, Jerry and Barbara Weinzetl of Las Vegas, Nevada; Jeff Weinzetl and special friend Debby of Shawanno, Wisconsin; Joel Weinzetl of Cook, Nebraska; Todd Anderson of Madrid, Iowa and Janan Brownlee of Murray, Iowa; sixteen great- grandchildren and ten great-great grandchildren. Merna is also survived by a host of many nieces and nephews, including a very special niece, Vicki and her husband Kenny Rhodes of Kellogg, Iowa; her brother Darrell Derry and his wife Doris of LeRoy, Minnesota; two brothers-in -law David Adams of Cheyenne, Wyoming and Edward Weinzetl and his wife Dorothy of Fonda, Iowa; other relatives and many friends. Merna was preceded in death by her husband Elston Kinney, her parents Henry and Olive Derry, two sisters Nona Wilkoske and Jean Weinztl, and infant brother Eldon Earl Derry and three sons-in-law Steven Hoagland, Jack Weinzetl, and Tom Hardyman. www.hastingsfh.com