Rosemary Reed Moore

Rosemary (Woodin) Reed Moore was born to Carl Hiram and Blanche Etta (Cottrell) Woodin on January 16, 1926 in Essex, Iowa. Rosemary entered eternal rest on Wednesday, December 4, 2013 at the Riverside Manor South in Ames, Iowa at the age of eighty-seven years, ten months and eighteen days.
Rosemary attended Goff Country School in Page County. Following her elementary education, Rosemary started high school at Coburg, Iowa. The family moved to Corning in Rosemary’s sophomore year. During Rosemarys high school years, she worked as a waitress for Francis McNuelty at Johnson’s Cafe. Rosemary graduated from Corning High School with the Class of 1943.
Following high school, Rosemary was united in marriage to Wendell Francis Reed on July 10, 1943 at the Methodist Parsonage in Corning Iowa.
After her marriage, Rosemary accepted a position with the FBI in Washington D.C., later transferring to the General Accounting Office as a personal secretary until her husband Wendell was discharged from the Army in 1946. The couple then returned to Corning. In 1954, Rosemary was employed by PM Place Department Store. From 1962 to 1972, she worked as church secretary at the United Methodist Church in Corning. In 1972, the couple moved to Dallas Center, where Rosemary was employed at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Des Moines and in the Finance Office with the Iowa National Guard at Camp Dodge. Upon Wendell’s retirement from the National Guard the couple returned to Corning and Rosemary worked as a dietary aide at Mercy Hospital. Over the years, Rosemary also worked at Farm Mutual Insurance in Dallas Center, Carden’s Shoe Store, ASCS, and for Marvin Steffen as a waitress in his restaurant in Corning. Rosemary was also a secretary to the first school nurse in Corning.
Wendell passed away in 2002. On, April 12, 2003, Rosemary was united in marriage to Rev. Lester L. Moore at the United Methodist Church in Corning and the couple made their home in Ames.
Rosemary volunteered at Mercy Hospital and at the Corning Nursing and Rehab Center for over twenty years. Some of Rosemary’s favorite memories were driving the tractor and helping her father in the fields and baking sour cream chocolate cake every Saturday.
Rosemary raised roses in her front yard for years, and was known to many as the “Lady on Highway 148 with all the beautiful roses”.
Rosemary was a member of the Corning United Methodist Church where she was active in both Choir and Bell Choir for over twenty-five years. She was also a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, Rose Ann Auxiliary, five year member of the Pythian Sisters and was a Delegate to the Annual Conference of the Iowa United Methodist Church.
Left to cherish Rosemarys memory is her husband, Rev. Lester L. Moore of Ames Iowa; son, Daniel (Diane) Reed of Missouri Valley, Iowa; daughter, Debra (Richard) Scott of Clinton, Iowa; four step-children: David (Linnea) Moore, Jeffrey (Margaret) Moore, Randall (Amy) Moore and Jane (Kevin) Clark; six grandchildren: Sonya, Dawn, Kari, William, Holli and Daryl; 9 step-grandchildren: Carla, Pat, Caitlin, Emma, Miriam, Joshua, Jonathan, Neil and Lily; many great-grandchildren and several great-great-grandchildren; sister, Ruth Ann Dorr of Weslaco, Texas and many nieces, nephews and other relatives.
Rosemary was preceded in death by her parents; first husband, Wendell Reed in 2002; infant twin sons: Jeffrey and Gregory Reed; brother, Ronald Woodin; sister, Jean Huntington Graham; brothers-in-law: Glendon Door, Burdette Huntington and Darwin Graham; sister-in-law, Beulah “Boots” Woodin and her beloved little black Dachshund, Simba.