Mary (Beach) Van Fleet

Mary Van Fleet, 90, of Newton died on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.  A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Monday, November 2, 2020, at the First Assembly of God Church. The family will greet friends from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the church. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the American Cancer Society may be left at the church during the service or at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory.

Mary, the daughter of William and Elma (Miles) Beach, was born at home in Lenard, Missouri on April 15, 1930.  After graduating from high school in 1947, she moved to Newton to be with her sister, Elsie.  She worked at various jobs until meeting her husband, Kenneth Van Fleet. They were married on September 10, 1950 and were blessed with three children, Jerri Lou, Daniel Lee, and Tere Lynn.  Mary was a homemaker until the kids were teenagers and then she began her 26-year career at Thomberts, retiring in 1993. Mary was a long-time member of the First Assembly of God Church.  Kenneth and Mary enjoyed wintering in Texas for many years, which Mary continued after Kenneth’s death. Mary loved spending time with her family.

Those left to honor Mary’s memory are her son, Dan Van Fleet; grandchildren, Stephanie Yoakum,, Shane (Julie) Martin, Roger Martin, and Erica (Phillip) Rape; great-grandchildren, Megan, Katie, Jack, Rylie, Dylan, Christopher, Elizabeth, and Isabell; and her great-great-granddaughter, Ava.  She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Van Fleet; two daughters, Jerri Lou and Tere Lynn; daughter-in-law, Glenda Van Fleet; granddaughter, Stacy Suttek; her brothers, Charles Beach, Les Beach, and Weldon Beach; and sisters, Elsie Hicks, Edna Kinzebach and Carolyn Beach. 

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