Obituary of Mary Beth Rundell

The funeral service for Mary Beth will be livestreamed on Bethany Lutheran Church Facebook page, this can be access at:

https://www.facebook.com/events/322593990404677/

West Branch, Iowa

Mary Beth Rundell, 75, passed away Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, IA.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, November 15, 2023 from 11 AM to 2 PM at Bethany Lutheran Church in West Branch, IA, with funeral services to follow at 2 PM. Burial will be in the West Branch Cemetery. Flowers are welcome. Memorial donations may also be made to the Friends of the Animals Shelter in Tipton, IA. The Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch is caring for Mary and her family.

Mary Beth was born August 18, 1948 in Columbus, OH, the daughter of Charles and Imogene (Fuller) Johnson. She was a graduate of Seneca High School in Louisville, KY in 1966, and graduated from the University of Iowa with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature and Education.

She was united in marriage to Ron Rundell on November 22, 2003 in West Branch, IA.

Mary was a congregant of Bethany Lutheran Church in West Branch, IA.

For any who would like to know Mary Beth better, were you to visit, this is what it might have been like:

You step through her carefully tended garden, greeted just outside the door by the sound of her singing softly to herself, and the smell of freshly baked cookies, or simmering fudge, beckoning you in. Opening the door, you find any combination of husband, children, grandchildren, family, and friends inside, talking and laughing. Home, or home away from home. You close the door quickly behind you, else a cat, dog, or bird will be through in a blink, which would surely earn you a sharply raised eyebrow as a result. Stepping around a pair of cowgirl boots, loved, worn, and ready for dancing, you discover a living room carefully and comfortably decorated with a mix of treasured antiques and heirlooms, including a side table with a favorite book perched on top alongside precious photos. As you pass into the kitchen, she looks up from her work, sees you, and her smile lights up your world.

This was the life she gave to us, and how we will always remember her.

She is survived by her husband Ron Rundell of West Branch, IA, children Patrick Throgmorton of Iowa City, IA, Paul (Min) Throgmorton of Marion, IA, Mindy (Aaron) Vetter of Winterset, IA, Shannon (Eric) Halicki of West Liberty, WV, grandchildren Madeline Throgmorton and Isabel Throgmorton of Marion, IA, Jaden Vetter of Waukee, IA, sister Carol (Tony) Childers of Louisville, KY. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Michael Lee Johnson Sr. of Louisville, KY, and granddaughter Autumn Vetter of Winterset, IA.