March 28, 2024

E. Marilyn ‘Mary’ Kilfoil

E. Marilyn “Mary” (Whiting) Kilfoil, 93, of Newton died on Saturday, March 2, 2013, at her home in Park Centre in Newton.

A memorial service will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home in Newton.

The family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials in Mary’s name to the Park Centre Good Samaritan Fund or to the Park Centre Employee’s Christmas Fund. Memorials may be left at the funeral home. Memorials also may be mailed to the funeral home; please add, Attn: Kilfoil Family on the envelope.

The family wishes to extend their heartfelt thanks, love, and gratitude to the Garden View staff at Park Centre who took such amazing care of Mary over the last six years.

E. Marilyn “Mary” (Whiting) Kilfoil, the daughter of William C. and Lyla B. (Billings) Whiting, was born on July 31, 1919, in Central City, Iowa. She graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1937 and then attended Business College for two years.

On Dec. 25, 1951, Mary was united in marriage with Robert W. Kilfoil in State Center, Iowa. She was a secretary in transcribing at Newton Manufacturing Company for 28 years, retiring in 1984. She was a member of the Congregational United Church of Christ and was a 50-year member of the Newton Chapter No. 100 Order of the Eastern Star. Mary loved her family. She also loved to feed the birds, and her baking of the 17 ingredient oatmeal cookies, a batch being 14 dozen were known around the world, even having been tasted by Robert James Waller, author of the “Bridges of Madison County.”

Survivors include her husband, Robert of Newton; three daughters, Mary Lynn (Rob) Spellman of Marysville, Wash., Kathy (Jim) McGee of Racine, Wis., and Susan (Kim) Waldman of Newton; her six grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; and her niece and nephew.

She was preceded in death by her parents; sister, Kathryn Shaffer; and brother, Dick Whiting.