Waldean Anna Lois Hargis, age 91, died on Monday morning, March 9, 2026, at Friendship Home, Audubon, Iowa. She was born on September 3, 1934, in Manning, Iowa, to George and Elsie (Reichart) Jackson, and graduated from Manning High School in Manning, Iowa.
In 1952, Waldean married Ernest L. Kaiser and four children were born to this union, Ellen, Mary, Patrick and Vickie. She would later marry George Owen and Lee Hargis. In her later life, her loving companion was Merrill Frus. Waldean was preceded in death by her parents, and husbands Ernest Kaiser, George Owen, and Lee Hargis. Waldean was a lifetime member of the Lutheran Church and at the time of her death was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church in Creston, Iowa. She worked for many years as a bookkeeper and secretary at Cramer insurance and Merk Grain. Later she lived in Missouri and enjoined traveling to Texas and Alaska with her husband.
Waldean is survived by her daughters Ellen (Paul) Kearney of Creston, Iowa, Mary (Craig) Smith of Hastings, Iowa, Patrick (Becky) Kaiser of Audubon, Iowa and Vickie (Thomas) Gardner of Audubon, Iowa and her stepchildren, Georgen Owen Jr. of Ashland, NE, Sharolyn (James) Devine of Papillion Ne and Joelyn (Kim) Owen of Council Bluffs, Iowa, 14 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren; and her sister, Linda Downing of Guthrie Center, IA.
Funeral Services will be held at 11 am on Thursday, March 12, 2026, at the First Presbyterian Church in Audubon. Visitation will be held from 9 am till the time of services at the church with the family present. Burial will follow at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. A luncheon will be held at the church following the committal service.
The Schmidt Family Funeral Home in Audubon are caring for Waldean and her family at this time, and condolences can be sent at schmidtfamilyfh.com
