June 10, 1943 – December 8, 2025
Delores Arduser, 82, of Mason City, Iowa, died Monday, December 9, 2025 at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center, Mason City, surrounded by those she loved.
In keeping with her generous spirit, Delores will donate what she can to further hearing and balance research, hoping that others may benefit as she did through her cochlear implant. Her family will gather in the spring to honor and celebrate her life.
Delores Ann Keech was born on June 10, 1943 in Madelia, Minnesota to Arden Ellsworth and Ruth Alice (Smith) Keech. She was raised in Madelia, where she enjoyed the comfort of a close rural community. Early on she found a love for theater, speech, and the arts, interests that continued throughout her life. She graduated from Madelia High School in 1961 and later attended Brown Institute and Emmetsburg Junior College. On January 20, 1967 she married the love of her life, George Lowell Arduser, in Brookings, South Dakota.
Delores and George began their life together in Ely, Minnesota, where she became active in the community and taught Sunday School. Their journey later brought them to Sheldon, Iowa. While there, she worked as an occupational therapist in both a nursing home and a hospital, and served proudly on the local ambulance team. When their family eventually settled in Mason City, Delores worked at Damons for 17 years, retiring as department head in 1988. Retirement did not slow her down. She continued creating, serving, and working on projects that brought her joy, especially through her years volunteering for the residents of Good Shepherd in Mason City.
Art was a lifelong passion. She was a wonderful artist who painted, created greeting cards, and sold her original pieces. George often built the wooden items she painted, making them the perfect pair, each complementing the other’s talent. They even baked and sold homemade treats to Fareway for several years. Monster cookies were a family favorite. Whether she was painting, baking, crafting, or helping others, Delores poured her heart into everything she did.
More than anything, Delores loved her family. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy. She glowed when she spoke of them, and she treasured every moment she spent watching them grow. Her legacy will live on in their hearts through the creativity she passed down, the traditions she nurtured, and the love she showed so freely.
Those left to cherish her memory include her husband of 58 years, George; her children, Bryan R. (Erica) Skarphol of Johnston, Iowa, Gina L. (Matthew) Pete of Minneapolis, Minnesota, George L. Arduser Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia, Amy B. Shute of Carlisle, Iowa, and Erik P. (Jenny) Arduser of Deer Park, Wisconsin; her grandchildren, Jordain, Makenzie, Nathan, Sydney, Gillian, Rachel, Christopher, George, Logan, Samuel, Hannah, Justice, Judah, Ahava, Hadara, Erica, and Jed; her siblings, Mardelle (Paul) Nelson, James Keech, and RoseAnn Manzke; along with many nieces, nephews, and extended family.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Ruth Schmidt; her father, Arden Keech; her sisters, Judith Keech, Darlyne (Theodore) Thormodson, and Jacqueline (Norman) Picha; and her brother, Richard Keech.
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