Mary Jane Comer

Mary Jane Comer, aged 83, died at Bethany Life Long-Term Care in Story City on Saturday, December 6, 2025. She passed peacefully in the loving embrace of her family during the early hours of the morning. Mary was born on October 4, 1942, in La Porte City, Iowa, to Jerry and Julia (Cohrt) Kotouc. After graduating high school in Vinton, she received a degree in secretarial work from the American Institute of Business in Des Moines and began her early career as a secretary for Equitable Life Assurance Company. During this time, she met and was wed to George Comer, on March 7, 1964, at All Saints Catholic Church in Des Moines.

Mary didn’t like heights, speed, or attention, she didn’t like flying, or the idea of getting on a boat, she had no great aspirations and wasn’t attracted to wealth. Instead, she encouraged and supported her husband, children and grandchildren in all their efforts and quietly did all she could to remove any hurdles in their way. She managed the funds, organized and cared for the house and fulfilled every basic need, not as a burden to be suffered but to express the great love she had for the family she gave life to. She didn’t desire possessions, she was impossible to buy for, but she would scrimp and save to make sure her children and grandchildren could go on trips, climb mountains, and canoe lakes. Her organized boxes of news clippings and notices of her family’s achievements were her reward and she cherished every reminder, scouring the papers for gems. Mary suffered no greed and had no vices, but treasured family and friends. She balanced the care of her immediate family with the needs of her aging parents, her dying sister, members of the communities she lived in and of her parish families. Early in her marriage, she and her husband cared for foster infants until ending those relationships became too hard.

For Mary, maintaining relationships was vital, modeled throughout her life by staying in touch with friends and family. As her husband accepted more career responsibilities, together they relocated their family seven times, hanging on to old friends and making new ones, even taking part-time jobs to meet and make friends. A woman of simple faith sheled her family to church for Sundays and Holy Days, supporting every parish function and earning the pet name “Mary Comer – 2 pies” in our family eternally. Their final move was from Durant to Newton, Iowa in 1994 to own and operate the MidIowa Motel for 14 years before retiring.

Survivors include her husband, George; 3 sons, Mark (Susan) Comer of Grand Mound, Brad (Jenny) Comer of Iowa City, and Ryan Comer of Newton; daughter, Michelle Bright (Rich Holst) of Roland; 10 grandchildren; 12 great grandchildren; sister, Dorothy Vangen; brother, Chuck Kotouc; along with many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jerry and Julia Kotouc, and sister, Geraldine (Kotouc) Stoner. A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00 a.m., Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at Assumption Catholic Church, 1904 Sycamore Street, Granger, Iowa 50109. The family will greet friends from 9:30 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. There will be a lunch following mass with a procession for burial at Beaver Catholic Cemetery after the meal.