September 2, 1946 – September 20, 2025
Marcia Hillesland, 79, of Leland, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 20, 2025, at Unity Point – Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, September 26, 2025, at United Methodist Church, 305 South Clark Street, Forest City, with Pastor Les Green and Pastor Kent Hillesland officiating.
Visitation will be 6:00 – 8:00 P.M., Thursday, September 25, 2025 at Schott Funeral Home, 505 North Clark St., Forest City, IA.
Burial will take place in Forest Home Cemetery in Leland, IA.
Marcia Bowman was born on Sept. 2, 1946, in rural Winnebago County, Iowa, to parents Orval and Elvina (Myre) Bowman. Marcia grew up on a family farm located between Leland and Lake Mills that remained in her family after she and Jon purchased it from her parents. She graduated from Lake Mills High School in 1964.
After graduating from high school but prior to marriage, Marcia was employed at the Graphic Publishing Company in Lake Mills.
On June 11, 1966, Marcia and Jon Hillesland were united in marriage at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Leland. Jon had graduated high school in Garner so he was from the area as well. They lived in Sheldon, Iowa, before returning to Forest City and then moved to Leland, Iowa, where they settled. Jon attended Waldorf College and Morningside College before being employed at Combined Insurance Company, Gulf Oil, and Winnebago Industries.
Marcia was a member of Our Savior’s prior to marriage and chose to be a stay-at-home mother in marriage, with she and her husband attending the Forest City United Methodist Church for all of their married life. Professing Jesus Christ as her savior, Marcia was an active ladies circle member at church in addition to serving as a Sunday morning church coffee/social hour host with her husband. She enjoyed cooking and baking for church events and activities.
As a homemaker, mother, and grandmother, Marcia consistently supported needs of family members and friends such as mending clothes, offering motherly advice, cooking or baking, babysitting, pet sitting, and talking through any issues and concerns on the phone and/or in person. She will be dearly missed by everyone who knew and loved her!
Marcia enjoyed planting new trees from seedlings, particularly oaks, and a wide variety of flowers at the family farm, gardening, long walks, and taking in and caring for (over several decades) many cats that are too numerous to name. The couple’s most recent cats have included Patches and Snuggles at their residence in Leland proper as well as Snowball, Whitie, and Blackie at the rural Leland farm. Marcia also loved caring for rabbits and chickens on the farm for many years.
Marcia is survived by her husband of 59 years, Jon Hillesland; children, Rob Hillesland of Leland, Kent Hillesland along with his wife Melissa and their children Lauren and Isaac of Lakota, and Kandyce (Hillesland) Larson and her children Isabella, Mikayla, and Noah of Forest City; siblings, Jim Bowman and his wife Nancy of Forest City as well as their daughters, Amy (husband Jim) Singer and Lindsay (husband Mike) Tuszynski; and David Bowman, his wife Lizz and their son Judd (wife Cassie) all of Phoenix, Arizona; as well as many more loved ones and friends who will miss her greatly.
Marcia was preceded in death by her parents, Orval and Elvina Bowman; her sister Patricia (Bowman) Johnson; and her son-in-law, Randy Larson.
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