Iona Williams

Iona Williams, 88, of Webster City, died Friday, January 27, 2012 at the Paula J. Baber Hospice House at Fort Dodge. A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, with Rev. Stephen Meyer, celebrant. Burial will be in the Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be at the Foster Funeral and Cremation Center from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday. Recitation of the Rosary will be at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday followed by a scripture service at 7:00 p.m. Mabel Iona Lee, daughter of John and Mabel Flaws Lee, was born May 15, 1923 on a farm north of Webster City. She attended Oak Glen rural school and when the family moved to Webster City she attended schools there. Iona graduated from Lincoln High in 1940 and from Webster City Junior College in 1942. In 1944, she graduated from Midland Airline School in Kansas City. She then started working for TWA in Dayton, Ohio. She returned to Webster City and on February 23, 1946, she married Darwyn James Williams at St. Thomas in Webster City. While Darwyn was serving in the U.S. Navy, they lived at Mare Island, CA. In May of 1946, they returned to Webster City. While Darwyn was attending Drake University they resided in Des Moines. The couple returned to Webster City where Dar joined his father in Williams Drug. Iona helped for many years in the cosmetics area of the business. They retired in 1990. Mrs. Williams is survived by her husband, Dar; sons and daughters-in-law, Ted and Linda Williams of Webster City; Tom and Christine Williams of Des Peres, MO; John and Debbie Williams of Waldorf, MD; daughter-in-law, Diane Williams of Webster City; daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Tom Seiser of Springfield, MO; foreign exchange son and his wife, Gerardo and Mandy Biritos of Buenos Aires, Argentina; 15 grandchildren; 4 great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews. Iona was preceded in death by her parents; son, Michael James Williams in 2011; sisters, Violet Leaming and Phyllis Branyord; brothers-in-law, Mac Leaming and Arnold Branyord. She was a member of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, St. Thomas Communion Ministry at Crestview, Webster City Women's Club, American Legion Auxiliary, former Grand Regent of the Catholic Daughters of America - Lucy Standish/Newcastle Chapter, Hamilton County Public Hospital Auxiliary, Bingo volunteer at Crestview, past president of Xi Alpha Nu and preceptor chapters of Beta Sigma Phi, assisted her husband, when he served Iowa State Pharmacy Association and the National Association of Retail Druggist. She was also Webster City Homecoming Queen in 1939. Write a personal tribute or light avirtual candle for the Williams family at www.fosterfuneralandcremation.com