Kathryn Siglin

Kathryn (Kay) Ruth Siglin, age 90 of Ionia, died Saturday March 29, 2014 at the the Parkview Manor Nursing Home in Wellman, Iowa. Funeral services will be held 1:00 p.m. Wednesday April 2, 2014, at Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home in New Hampton, with Rev. Mark Osterhaus of St. Boniface Church in Ionia presiding. Internment will be at St. Boniface Cemetery. Friends may greet the family an hour prior to the service at the funeral home on Wednesday. Kathryn was born June 22, 1923, in Elma, Iowa the daughter of Albert and Regina (Schuld) Ransom. She was raised during the depression in a family that included five children, so her beginnings were very frugal and humble. She graduated from Ionia Public High School, and lived nearly her whole life in Ionia. She married Leo D. Siglin in Caledonia, MN in 1949. Kathryn was employed for many years at White Farm Equipment in Charles City where she worked in various departments including insurance, management and payroll until she retired. She later worked at Smith Jewelry in Charles City, and also was a news correspondent for the Nashua Reporter and the New Hampton Newspaper. In retirement, Kathryn and her husband were able to travel extensively, including a trip to Europe. Her hobbies and interests included embroidery, reading, movies, baking, gardening, cooking and entertaining, crossword puzzles and playing cards. She especially enjoyed candy making over the holidays, and decorating the house extensively for holiday celebrations. In later life, she took great pleasure in writing poetry. She was well known around Ionia and Iowa City for her delicious peanut brittle and handmade chocolates. She managed to juggle a career and raise a family of three children, and was generous to all. In 2008 she moved to Iowa City to be near her children and then passed away at Parkview Manor in Wellman, IA. She will be best remembered for her boundless energy, her selflessness and generosity to others, her feisty free spirit, and her devotion to her family. She will be deeply missed. She is survived by her three children; Lee Siglin of Iowa City, Tim (Patsy) Siglin of Girard, KS, Melanie (Robert) Lane of Iowa City; two grandchildren; Alyssa Lane of Knoxville, TN, Alex Szwedo of Girard, KS; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Leo; her brother Robert Ransom; her sisters; Ilda Zimmerman, Pauline Evans and Wilma Wad.