Iris Koons, 97, of Swea City, Iowa, passed away September 30, 2024, at her home in Swea City, Iowa.
Iris Ann (Nelson) Koons was born December 6, 1926, to Sewell and Rosalia (Hanson) Nelson near Leland, Iowa, graduating with the class of 1944. Following graduation, Iris attended Hamilton Business College in Mason City, graduating in 1946. She worked for Erickson Law Firm in Fairmont, Minnesota, prior to her marriage.
Iris was united in marriage to James Oliver Koons at Center Lutheran Church near Lake Mills, Iowa, on September 11, 1949. They lived in the Swea City area their entire lives together except for 5 years when they farmed near Forest City. Iris worked as a bank teller and then eventually bank vice-president and a member of the board of directors at the Swea City State bank until she retired in 1985. She and Jim also owned a farming operation which kept them quite busy from 1952 until they retired from farming in 1987. She and Jim spent many winters down in the McAllen, Texas, area as snowbirds enjoying warm winters away from the snow and cold weather and spending time with friends and family.
Iris was an active member of Immanuel Lutheran Church and was always busy with many projects taking place there to include bazaars, making lefsa, and serving coffee after services. She was also a member of the Swea City American Legion Women’s Auxiliary and the Federated Women’s Club and participated in numerous projects with them.
She enjoyed golfing tremendously, along with playing cards, reading, and spending time with her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She loved working in her yard planting and tending her flowers and tracking down items to add to her collections of Campbell’s Soup and garden gnomes. She and Jim loved to have coffee uptown with their friends every morning (and sometimes afternoon) to keep abreast of the local news, in other words, she was always on the go!
She is survived by her two sons, Doug (Judy) of Webster City, Iowa, and Steve (Sue) of Seguin, Texas, 5 grandchildren: Brian, Sandra (Eric), Alissa (David), Alex, and Austin, 2 great grandchildren: Aidan and Erick, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Iris was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Jim, in May of 2012, her sister, Doris Anderson, and brothers, Owen Nelson and Roger Nelson.
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