Mary Ann (Ponder) Ringgenberg

Mary Ann Ringgenberg, 82, of Newton died on Friday, August 18, 2017, at the Mayflower Community in Grinnell.  A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, August 24, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.  The family will greet friends from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service.  Memorials to the Mayflower Community may be left at the funeral home.

Mary Ann, the daughter of Alfred and Mary Florence (Guessford) Ponder, was born on March 13, 1935 in Newton.  She graduated from Newton High School in 1953 and received a degree in music from Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois.  Mary Ann was united in marriage with Don Ringgenberg in 1958 and they were blessed with two sons, Donnie and Kirk. Mary Ann worked on the floor of the state house and then later with an insurance company in Des Moines filing insurance claims and other administrative duties.  Mary Ann was a member of the First Presbyterian Church where she sang in the church choir.  With her vocal talent, Mary Ann was a member of a signing group out of Grinnell and the Metropolitan Opera from Simpson College.  She was also active in the Food Department at the Iowa State Fair and the Democratic Party. 

Mary Ann is survived by her two sons, Donnie Ringgenberg and Kirk Ringgenberg (Tricia Maher and her children, Peyton and Morgan), both of Newton; granddaughter, Danette (Phil) Wells; great-grandchildren, Markus and Kai; and her sister, Betty Debban of Cedar Rapids.  She was preceded in death by her parents; step-mother, Florence Ponder and a brother-in-law, Chuck Debban.

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