Valera O. McAdoo

Valera O. McAdoo, 98, died on Friday, October 31, 2025, after a short illness. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, November 10, 2025, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Newton, with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. After the service, family and friends are invited to a luncheon at the funeral home with burial to follow. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Newton Public Library or the United Presbyterian Church can be left at the funeral home.

Valera was born in Hull, Iowa, on January 30, 1927, the daughter of Arthur William and Johanna (Wesselink) Olivier. She was the second child in a family of six children, and has two living sisters, Norma and Juanita. She also had a brother, Alonzo, and two other sisters, Betty Carol and Gloria. After graduating from Hull High School in 1945, she enrolled in the Iowa Methodist School of Nursing in Des Moines, graduating in 1948 as a Registered Nurse. The last year of her nursing program, she was in the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps. Val’s first job was assisting a brain surgeon at the VA Hospital in Des Moines. She also worked at Calvin Manor in Des Moines and Colonial Manor in Baxter.

While still in nursing school, Val went on a blind date with a member of the U.S. Navy Air Corps, Ralph William McAdoo. It must have been a good first date because they were married on August 23, 1950, in Hull.

Mac and Val had three children: Lynn Dudgeon, Kay (Gary) Koppenhaver, and Mark (Marcia) McAdoo, as well as a foreign exchange daughter, Hanne Windemuller from Denmark. They had seven grandchildren: Brent (Sara) Koppenhaver, Leslie (Tyler) Johnson, Ross (Rachel) Koppenhaver, Tyler McAdoo, Spencer (Abby Lockhart) McAdoo, Connor McAdoo, and Nick Bern. Val and Mac were also blessed with eight great-grandchildren.

Val had a passion for art and expressed her creativity though her beautiful oil and watercolor paintings. She studied under painter Dimitar Krustev and she and Mac traveled to Bulgaria to meet his family. Travel was a great love of the couple and included trips and cruises to Germany, Russia, Ireland, Denmark, the Baltic states, and Alaska. For many years, they wintered in Fort Myers Beach, Florida.

Val was a longtime and dedicated member of Newton Presbyterian Church, serving as a deacon and Sunday school teacher. She was also a member of the HS Chapter of PEO and a frequent Newton Public Library patron. Together, Val and Mac enjoyed cheering for the Hawkeyes and playing golf.

Val’s warmth and creativity brought joy to all who knew her. The family extends gratitude to the compassionate staff at Newton Village and St. Croix Hospice.