Mary Alice Pelzer, the daughter of John and Gertrude (Rew) West, was born August 12, 1931. She died August 18, 2023, at the Griswold Care Center in Griswold, IA, at the age of 92 years and 6 days.
Mary attended school in Griswold, graduating with the class of 1949. She met Eldon Pelzer and they decided to get married, but her mother said she couldn’t get married until she was 19 years old. Mary turned 19 on August 12, and she and Eldon got married on August 13. Mary was a town girl, but soon learned to be a farm wife. When Eldon served in Korea, Mary took a job at Griswold Telephone Company. When Mark and June were in Junior High she began working at Griswold State Bank. She retired when it was sold to Rolling Hills Bank and Trust. She got talked out of retirement and worked at Rolling Hills and retired again, only to resume working again until her final retirement. In 1992, Mary and Eldon moved to Griswold. They had been married for 50 wonderful years, when Eldon died.
Mary was a member of Noble Center United Methodist Church where she played the piano for many years and was active in the UMW. She had volunteered at the Griswold Museum, had served on the library board, and had belonged to Music Club and PEO.
She is preceded in death by her husband Eldon; son Michael J. Pelzer; daughter Julie Pelzer; baby boy Pelzer; and her brother John West and wife Helen.
She is survived by her children: Doug Pelzer, Mark Pelzer and wife Ellen, and June Karr and husband Brian; her daughter-in-law Sherry Pelzer; her grandchildren: Shanna Moore and husband Nathan, Matthew Pelzer, Michelle Spunaugle and husband Jared, Elizabeth Thompson, Henson Pelzer, and Lexi Karr; her great grandchildren: Cole, Megan, Aiden, Carter, and Tristan; her sister-in-law Betty Lantz; and brother-in-law Dennis Pelzer and wife Jane; and many other relatives and friends.
A funeral for Mary will be held on Thursday, August 24, 2023, at 11:00 AM at the Griswold United Methodist Church. A time of food and fellowship will immediately follow the funeral service. A private family interment will be held at Noble Center Cemetery. There will be an open visitation at the Rieken Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, from 9:00 AM until 7:00 PM. The family will not be present at any specific time. Rieken Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold is assisting the family with arrangements.
