Audrey Gretter

Audrey Gretter

1930-2022

Audrey Ann (Smith) Gretter, 91, died on Feb. 15, 2022 at Mercy Hospital, Iowa City.  She was born on Oct. 2, 1930 in rural South English to Virgil and Helen (Rung) Smith.  She lived a full life.  She loved with her whole heart and mind. She was the best pinochle player in the family and always caught the most fish.  She graduated from St. Elizabeth School in Harper. She married Frank William Gretter on March 31, 1951 at Saint Elizabeth Catholic Church.

Audrey was a member of Holy Trinity Parish - St. Mary’s Keota, the Altar and Rosary Society, and she served on the parish council over the years.  She was also a member of the Federated Women’s Club, Harper.  Through these organizations and others, she volunteered at countless community events and fundraisers. She felt blessed to live in such a wonderful community.

For years she ran the concession stand at the Harper baseball field.  She happily drove her station wagon full of ball players, runners, speech teams, musicians and 4-H’ers all over the county and the state!

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her sister Cynthia Walker, and her brother John V. Smith.

She will be deeply missed by her sisters, Virgilla (Richard) Wickwar of Fort Washington, Maryland, and Sr. Charlene Smith, FSPA, of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, her brother, Niles (Virginia) Smith of Minnetonka, Minnesota, her sister-in-law Julia Smith of Iowa City, her brother-in-law Thomas Walker of Florence, Kentucky, six daughters, Kathleen Gretter of Cedar Rapids, Janet Gretter of Ames, Amy (Brian) McCarville of Kansas City, Missouri, Ann (Fox Vernon) Gretter of Alexandria, Virginia, Julie (Richard) Lundstrom of Kansas City, Missouri and Carol Gretter of New York, New York, five sons, Frank Gretter of Keota, Michael Gretter of Luis Eduardo Magalhaes, Brazil, David (Barb) Gretter of Harper, Andrew Gretter of Playa Del Coco, Costa Rica, and Mark Gretter of Dallas, Texas, seven grandchildren, Je’taime, Jill, Blair, Jennifer, Luke, Charles, and Owen, and seven great-grandchildren.

Please light a candle in Audrey’s memory.

Memorial mass will be held at 10:30  a.m. on Monday, Feb. 21, at Holy Trinity Parish - St. Mary Catholic Church in Keota, with Revs. Robert Lathrop and  Charles Fladung officiating.  Burial will be at Holy Trinity Cemeteries - St. Elizabeth Cemetery in Harper.  Visitation will be from 3:30 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 20, at the church, where there will be a vigil service at 3 p.m.

A memorial fund has been established for the Holy Trinity Parish & Keota Eagle Rock. Memorial money will also be dedicated to planting trees in the Keota and Harper communities, in Audrey’s memory.  Powell Funeral Home and Cremation Service in Keota is caring for Audrey and her family.  Tributes may be made at www.powellfuneralhomes.com.