Mary Jane (Wieling) Bonestroo

Mary Jane Bonestroo, age 71, formerly of Knoxville, Iowa, died on Thursday, April 10, 2008, at the Bethany Manor in Story City, Iowa, after fighting cancer for 23 years. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 15, 2008, at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Calmar, Iowa, with Rev. Donald Hawes, officiating. Burial will be in the St. Aloysius Catholic Cemetery in Calmar, Iowa. Friends may call from 3:00-7:00 p.m., on Monday and until 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning at the Schluter – Balik Funeral Home, French Chapel in Calmar, Iowa,. There will be a rosary at 4:00 p.m. and a scripture service at 6:00 p.m. on Monday at the funeral home. Mary Jane Bonestroo was born on September 22, 1936, the daughter of Gustave Gerhardt and Mary Catherine (Schmitz) Wieling in Cresco, IA. Mary Jane attended school in Lawler and Calmar, graduating from Calmar High School in 1954 and from St. Francis School of Nursing in LaCrosse, WI, in 1957. Mary Jane married Thomas Bonestroo on August 24, 1959 at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Calmar, IA. Mary Jane was a nurse and lived in San Bernardino, CA; Sheridan, WY; St. Paul, MN; and Waukon, IA. In 1983, she moved to Knoxville, IA and worked at the VA Hospital, until she retired in 1998. Mary Jane was a very caring and attentive nurse, dedicated to all of her patients. She enjoyed traveling, dancing, reading, crocheting, visiting with all, and volunteering at Helping Hands in Knoxville. Above all, Mary Jane loved and treasured her family and her grandchildren, and loved to tell all about them to anyone who would listen. Mary Jane was a member of St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Knoxville, IA and NARFE. Mary Jane’s survivors include her three sons: Bruce (Rhonda) Bonestroo, Ames, IA; Kirk (Tammie) Bonestroo, Dousman, WI; and Andrew (Monica) Bonestroo, Oostburg, WI. Seven grandchildren: Matthew, Hannah, Stephanie, Megan, Ashley, Max and Elizabeth “Libby”. Three sisters: Adalene Busch, Ft. Atkinson, IA; Rosalyn (John) Baldwin, San Diego, CA; and Alice (Lester) Lukas, Calmar, IA and several nieces and nephews. Mary Jane was preceded in death by her parents, Gustave and Mary Wieling, and her former husband, Thomas Bonestroo.