Mary Ann Kramer-Honrath

Larchwood, Iowa Mary Kramer-Honrath, age 91 of Larchwood, IA died Saturday, February 16, 2008 at the Fellowship Village Care Center in Inwood, IA Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 AM, Tuesday, Feb. 19th at The Church of St. Mary in Larchwood, IA, with Fr. Jeff Schleisman as Celebrant. Burial will follow at the Larchwood Cemetery. Visitation will be Monday, Feb. 18th from 2 " 8 PM, with the family present from 6 - 8 PM at The Church of St. Mary in Larchwood. There will be a 7:00 PM Vigil service Monday evening at the church. Jurrens Funeral Home of Larchwood is in charge of arrangements. Mary Ann Kramer-Honrath was born on March 5, 1916 in Larchwood, Iowa to Frank and Nellie (Janssen) Snyders. She attended St. Marys School. She worked at the St. Marys convent after graduation. Mary married Joseph Roemen on August 31, 1937. They farmed in the Larchwood area until Joes death at the age of fifty-one. They had five children: Theresa Ripperda of Larchwood, Robert Roemen of Larchwood, Leonard (Nancy) Roemen of Larchwood, Marilyn (Larry) Schlotfeldt of West Bend, WI, and Karen (Tom) Breuer of Sioux Falls, SD. Mary was forty-six years old when she was widowed. She had the responsibility of continuing on with the help of her children farming. She married Urban Kramer on November 27, 1965. They moved to Alvord and farmed there for about four years. Urban and Mary then retired to Larchwood. They traveled extensively. Urban passed away on their twenty-first wedding anniversary on November 27, 1986. On January 13, 1990, Mary married Leo Honrath. After many good years together Leo passed away February 26, 2006. Mary learned to crochet and each grandchild and child have a cherished afghan from her. She loved to bake and chocolate chip cookies were a Sunday morning tradition. We solved many world problems around that table. Her door was always open. She had the gift of hospitality. She would always make sure that visitors never left her home hungry. She loved to play cards. We all learned to play early in life and to take the game seriously. Many a time we needed to retrieve the cards from under the refrigerator, where mom had thrown them after an unlucky hand of cards. She attended baseball games, enjoyed reading, bowling, fishing, and later golf. She enjoyed working in her garden, growing tomatoes and green beans. She had many flowers planted around her house. We always took a tour of her flower and vegetable garden before leaving her house. She loved summer nights when she could sit on her porch and visit with the passerby. Her faith was very important to her. Daily mass and the rosary always under her pillow instilled in her family, through example, a deep faith. She was proud of her children and grandchildren. She would never get tired of telling others about their accomplishments. Mary had been a resident of the Fellowship Village Care Center in Inwood, IA for a few years and on Saturday, February 16, 2008 she died there at the age of ninety-one. Mary is survived by her five children; twenty grandchildren; forty-five great-grandchildren; eleven great-great-grandchildren; four sisters: Irene Daniels and Monica (John) Weber of Sioux Falls; Rita Cain and Julie (Don) Roemen of Larchwood; two brothers: Paul Snyders of Larchwood and Matt (Mavis) Snyders of Mesa, AZ; and many extended family. She was preceded in death by her husbands, Joe Roemen, Urban Kramer, and Leo Honrath. Son-in-law, Gerald Ripperda, grandchildren: Thomas Ripperda and Richard Roemen, sister, Helen Dains, brothers: Francis and Joe Snyders. Blessed be the memory of Mary Ann Kramer.