Evelyn Faun (Agee) Celander

Evelyn Faun (Agee) Celander passed away on Sunday November 9, 2014 at the age of 88. Evelyn was born in Ottumwa, IA on November 4, 1926 to Roy and Ona Agee. She attended Drake University where she met and married her life’s partner David Robert Celander (“Bob”) in 1946.

After graduating from Drake, Evelyn traveled with Bob to Iowa City, IA as he enrolled, attended and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry. Though Evelyn was admitted to the Phi Beta Kappa Society as a junior class candidate majoring in Journalism at Drake, she quickly learned organic chemistry and biochemistry to support her blind-at-birth husband in his academic and professional pursuits. She became a biochemistry researcher and professor at the University of Texas-Galveston Medical Branch and College of Osteopathic Medicine and Surgery (now Des Moines University), where she retired in 1992 as Emeritus Associate Professor of Biochemistry with a Masters of Science in Biochemistry and an honorary Doctorate of Science.

She became loving mother to Andrew David and Daniel Walter while she and Bob lived in Galveston, TX in 1955 and 1959, respectively, and to Jeananne Marie in 1962 after the family returned to Des Moines in 1961. Her husband and first-born son passed in the winter of 1977. Her only brother Lloyd Wayne Agee passed away in 2008.

Evelyn was highly active in her religious faith, belonging to the Patricia Park United Brethren Church in Christ from 1963 to its closing in 2000 and to the Central Community Free Methodist Church from 2000 to 2014. Evelyn participated as organist, pianist, classroom teacher and Board member at both institutions. When she was not busy preparing and editing church newsletters, weekly bulletins and studying the Bible, she enjoyed solving the New York Times Puzzle, Jumble, watching television quiz shows, and sharing Bible story readings with her 4 year-old grandson, Dustin.

Evelyn waited with delight in her life as her children married late in life. Her son Daniel married his wife Evon in 2007 who gave birth to her grandson Dustin Robert Celander in 2009. Her daughter Jeananne married Scott Kleckner in 2010. She is survived by Daniel, Jeananne, Evon, Scott and Dustin.

The family welcomes memorial contributions for distribution to those non-profit charities, organizations and institutions that Evelyn cared most about.

Services will be held at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines on Friday, November 14, 2014 at 10 a.m. Visitation will be held the night before from 4 to 6 p.m. also at the funeral home.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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