Mary Gay McClatchey

Mary Gay McClatchey, 86, passed away peacefully March 3, 2023, at Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center, Iowa. Mary Gay was born June 22, 1936, to Wayne and Faye (Nash) Collins in Le Mars, Iowa. She was the second born of 11 siblings. She graduated from high school in Le Mars and attended Westmar College where she met Robert McClatchey of Mapleton, Iowa. They married in 1956.

Robert joined the Army in 1956 and Mary Gay and their first child, Brian, joined him in Germany where he was stationed. Their return to Iowa was followed by the addition of Julie and Christy to their family and their eventual 40+ years together in Knoxville, Iowa. Mary Gay’s priority was to be home with her children while she was also very social and needed lots of people time. Her volunteer work at the local elementary schools and her employment as the secretary of the Knoxville Kindergarten Center meant working during school hours that allowed her to meet both needs. And she loved her work at home and school.

Mary Gay was devoted to her husband, children, and grandchildren and, thankfully, got a brief time to meet and enjoy her first and only great grandchild. She also relished time with her siblings including the annual “bonding trip” to Des Moines with her 6 sisters, hosted by daughter, Julie. She loved her family bargain shopping adventures. Mary Gay cherished her time with her many friends – bridge games, sorority activities, travels, lunches, and other outings with “the girls.” She volunteered with United Methodist Church in Knoxville for many years. Mary Gay took pride in her home, loved hosting and entertaining, and was well known for her extensive and beautiful holiday decorating. She and Robert were big Iowa Hawkeye fans and held season tickets for the football games for many years. She was never shy about voicing her opinions to the coaches and refs when the game wasn’t going her way. This tiny woman had a big presence and impact. Her grandchildren enjoyed standing back-to-back with grandma waiting for the day they surpassed her height (which didn’t take long!). She was small in stature and very large in her impact on those of us who loved her.

Words shared regularly by the staff of Spurgeon Manor who provided her care included fun, funny, cute, sweet, feisty, and “we love her.” They knew her well!

Left to mourn the loss of Mary Gay are her children, Brian McClatchey, Iowa City IA, Julie McClatchey (Jay Sohn), Clive IA, and Christy McClatchey (Diane Rizzo), Kansas City MO; seven grandchildren (Abby, Emma, Sophie, Ian, Mirabel, Emily and Andy); great-granddaughter (Cleo); brothers Cary, Ted, and Jack; and sisters Kathy (Feller), Suzanne (Berreth), Jill, and Priscilla (Strathman). Mary Gay was preceded in death by her parents, husband Robert, sisters Nancy (Rolfes) and Kay (Pfannkuch) and brother Tim.

Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. followed by a Celebration of Life service at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines. A luncheon will be held at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway following the services at 12:00 p.m. Burial of the urn will follow at 2:30 p.m. at Graceland Cemetery in Knoxville, IA.

Memorial donations: Alzheimer's Association or directly to the family (via Julie McClatchey) who plan to purchase a gift for the Eby Memory Care unit of Spurgeon Manor with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for the residents, all whom suffer from dementia.

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