Judy Fricke

Judy Fricke, 74, of Marshalltown died early Wednesday morning, Feb. 1, 2012, at the Iowa River Hospice House with her loving family at her side. The family wishes to express their thanks to the caring staff at Iowa River Hospice. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Iowa River Hospice, 502 Plaza Heights Road, Marshalltown, IA, 50158.

A funeral service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown. She will be laid to rest in the Hillside Cemetery at State Center with a time of fellowship and refreshments at the St. John Lutheran Church north of State Center. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 3. For online condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com.

Born on Sept. 4, 1937, at home in Mingo, Iowa, she was the daughter and eldest child of George William and Elma Ruth (Sharp) Rumbaugh.

Judy attended the Mingo Schools and graduated from the Mingo High School in 1955. Two days following graduation, she started work with the Vernon Advertising Company in Newton, working there until 1957 then working at the Newton Water Department until 1959.

On Aug. 2, 1959, she was united in marriage to Walter D. Fricke. For the next 10 years they lived on a farm in Tama County. In 1967, the couple moved to Marshalltown and Judy started working for Fisher Controls in 1969 and retired after 30 years of faithful service in 1999. After retirement, she and Walter worked for Hy-Vee night stocking shelves just for fun. They enjoyed their career there as they did traveling, antiquing, attending auctions, staying at their son’s campground near Kellogg and time with family. Even though cancer claimed her life in the end, the time she celebrated life between those episodes was priceless. Judy also served in the Unites States Naval Reserves as a Petty Officer 3rd Class in the early 1980s.

Left to cherish her memory are Walter, her loving husband of 52 years; her sons, Stuart D. (Larysa) Fricke of Grinnell and Loren G. (Paterna) Fricke of Crane, Ind.; her grandchildren, Tasia Fricke and Roman Fricke of Marshalltown; her brother, George Jay Rumbaugh of Baxter; her sister, Sallie A. (Norman “Sandy”) Ballantine of Essex Junction, Vt.; and many nieces and nephews in the Gilman and Marshalltown area.

In death, Judy rejoined her parents.