Marlys Sinnwell

Marlys Sinnwell age 79 of Nashua, IA died Sunday, September 5, 2021, at UnityPoint Health - Allen Hospital in Waterloo, IA. A celebration of life will be held 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Friday, September 10, 2021, at The Little Brown Church in Nashua, IA with Rev. Drew McHolm celebrating the service. Friends may greet the family from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 9, 2021, at Hugeback-Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory -- Olson Chapel in Nashua. Marlys was born on Nov. 21, 1941, in Iowa City and was raised by Doris and Lawrence Kollman Sr. in the Carville and Nashua areas. She attended country school before transferring to Nashua High School, where she was the valedictorian of the Class of 1960. When Marlys was a student, she met her future husband, Bill Sinnwell Sr., on the school bus, and eventually, they began dating, fell in love, and were married on Sept. 2, 1961, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Waverly. The family grew to include six children — Ann, Bill Jr., Eva, Cara, Angelina, and Nathaniel — and after Ann was born, Marlys gave up her job at Lutheran Mutual in Waverly to focus on raising her children. They, in turn, had a mother who met them almost every day after school with fresh-baked bread and loved to sew, garden, read, and crochet. She was also a longtime leader in the 4-H program in the Nashua area. Marlys worked on and off at the dentist office that was then located in Nashua, but her kids were her No. 1 priority when they were growing up. She was a loving, kind mom who taught her children the importance of having good values. She loved being a member of the Red Hat Society, and she believed in giving back to her community and church — serving on the Nashua School Board for nine years and becoming an active member of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas at Holy Family Parish, where she and Bill also worked with other couples in the church’s RCIA program. When her children were done with their schooling, she attended Allen College in Waterloo and earned her x-ray technician certification, and worked at the Charles City hospital for a year before Bill’s job took the couple to Lawton and Green Bay, Wisconsin. When they returned to Northeast Iowa, Marlys worked at the clinic in New Hampton before later accepting a job as the secretary of the Little Brown Church, where she worked for nine years before retiring. Marlys was a wonderful grandmother who was blessed with 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, plus two on the way. She loved her hummingbirds and cardinals that visited the bird feeders in her yard, and we imagine the red cardinal will bring all those who knew and loved Marlys comfort for it does symbolize combating difficulties by having hope in God’s love for us. And in the end, family and faith were the two hallmarks of Marlys’ life. Marlys is survived by her husband Bill Sinnwell Sr. of Nashua, IA; two sons, Billy (Denise) Sinnwell of New Hampton, IA, Nathaniel (Amy) Sinnwell of Nashua, IA; four daughters, Ann (Dennis) Preuss of Dunkerton, IA, Eva Determan of Mason City, IA, Cara (Kevin) Patterson of Vinton, IA, Angelina Dietz of Nashua, IA; fourteen grandchildren, Nicole (Aaron) Arispe of Ankeny, IA, Mitchell (Chelsea) Sinnwell of Norwalk, IA, Leah (Thomas Mason) Determan of Manly, IA, Marshall (Michaela) Sinnwell of Marion, IA, Abby Patterson of West Des Moines, IA, Thomas Determan of Mason City, IA, Blake (Lillie Wicks) Patterson of Cedar Falls, IA, Emma Sinnwell of Waverly, IA, Isaac Sinnwell of Cedar Falls, IA, Isaiah Determan of Mason City, IA, Kylie Dietz of Ankeny, IA, Isabella Dietz of Nashua, IA, Isaac Determan of Mason City, IA, Grace Dietz of Nashua, IA; four great-grandchildren with two on the way; one brother, Doug (Connie) Kollmann of Ionia, IA. She was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Michael Manners and Lawrence Kollmann Jr.