Murnace Charlene Pickering

DEATH NOTICE: OCHEYEDAN, IOWA Murnace C. Pickering, age 91 of Hartley, Iowa (formerly of Ocheyedan), died Sunday, November 19, 2006, at the Community Memorial Health Center in Hartley. Memorial service will be 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, November 25, 2006 at United Methodist Church in Ocheyedan, with Reverends Douglas Harding officiating. There will be a private family burial prior to the service. Walton-Roste Funeral Home of Sibley is in charge of the arrangements. Murnace Charlene Pickering was born on November 6, 1915 she was the daughter of Charles and Harriet Manby. She grew up and attended school in Ocheyedan. After graduating she attended Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, Iowa. On January 7, 1939, Murnace was united in marriage to Francis Pickering in Ocheyedan. After marriage she and Francis lived in Omaha, Nebraska, and then in Los Angeles, California, moving back to Ocheyedan in 1946, where she lived until she moved to the care center. After they returned to Iowa Murnace taught in several country schools around Ocheyedan, retiring from teaching in the late 1950s to care for her mother, and then her father, until deaths in 1960 and 1967. She went to work at Campbells Soup Company in Worthington in 1973 after Francis became disabled, and retired from there in June 1980 to care for her husband. Her husband Francis died on March 1, 1981. After her retirement she enjoyed working part-time at Jims Drive-In in Ocheyedan. She was a member of the Pilgrim Congregational Church in Ocheyedan until it closed and then became a member of the United Methodist Church in Ocheyedan. Church was a very big part of Murnaces life. Through the years she taught many Sunday school classes, sang for special occasions, and helped with many vacation bible schools, Mothers Day, Christmas programs and was active in many areas of the church. She also enjoyed attending and helping with Dinner Date, and she was a fifty year plus member of the Order of Eastern Star where she held many different offices. Murnace was always among the first to volunteer if something needed to be done, or someone needed help. She was a very caring person who lived her life putting others needs before her own. She spent many years caring for family members when they were unable to care for themselves and never was known to utter a complaint. Her deep and abiding love for her family was truly evident in everything she did. Left to cherish her memory is her children: sons, Gary (wife Sharon) and Kerry (Beth); daughters, Sharon (Larry), Pam and Deb (Kent); 13 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and her sister, Beth. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, her sister, her brother and a great grand-daughter.