Rachel Esther Koellner, 95, Iowa City, formerly of Davenport, Iowa, passed away August 16 at 8 PM at Bickford Cottage after an extended illness. Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 22, 2009 at First Church United, 1100 N. Calhoun Street, West Liberty, Iowa. Visitation will be from 9:30 – 11:00 AM, with services at 11:00 AM. Burial will be at Blue Grass Cemetery, Blue Grass, Iowa. Memorials can be made to Hospice of Iowa City, First Church United or the Muscatine County Floricultural Hall. The Henderson-Barker Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Rachel Esther Koellner was born May 9, 1914 in rural Walnut, Iowa to William Claus Herman Lehnhardt and Mary Eleanor (Thomas) Lehnhardt. She married William George Koellner January 25, 1940 at St. John’s Methodist Church, Davenport, Iowa. She attended Lincoln Township Schools, Pottawattamie County, Iowa. She lived in rural Walnut, Iowa until 1929 when she and her mother joined Uncle Henry Thomas on the family farm in rural Davenport, Iowa, eight years after the death of her father. She remained on the family farm from 1929 until January 2009. She was preceded in death by her father William Lehnhardt and a brother William Thomas Lehnhardt in Walnut, Iowa, her mother Mary Lehnhardt, sisters, Estella Johanna Tolle of Moline, Doris Ann Marxen, Della Katherine Goettsch, and Bertha May Adkins of Davenport, Iowa. She also was preceded death by a half-sister, Luella Boldt of Davenport. She is survived by sons William Henry Koellner (Janet), West Liberty, Iowa, and James David Koellner (Carole) of Austin, Texas. She has four grandchildren; Jill (Lamont) Perkins of Iowa City, Iowa; Todd Koellner (Stacy) of Lenexa, Kansas; Jamie Allen (Chris) of Elgin, Texas; and Kristi (Wayne) McCulloch of London, England. She also has four great grandchildren. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, as well as many good friends. Rachel farmed, but also worked for many Catholic parishes in the Davenport area. She began her work at St. Mary’s and St. Joseph’s, followed by working at St. Paul’s of Davenport, and St. John Vianney of Bettendorf, Iowa. She also worked at St. Ann’s at Long Grove, Iowa. She retired formerly in 1994, but continued to help where necessary with friends and former pastors. She will be missed by many, both friends and family. She enjoyed gardening both flowers and vegetables, and was an excellent cook. She prided herself on keeping a clean home, and an immaculate yard. She was a member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church of Davenport, Iowa, and the Scott County Farm Bureau. Saturday August 22, 2009, 9:30 - 11:00 A.M. at First Church United Click for Map and Directions Saturday August 22, 2009, 11:00 A.M. at First Church United Click for Map and Directions