Obituaries

Jeaneene Kemmerer, 79, of Waterloo, formerly of Valparaiso, FL, died Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center, Waterloo, IA.

She was born August 13, 1941, in Rochester, MN, daughter of Edward and Mildred Plager Kemmerer. Jeaneene graduated from Waterloo East High School in 1959 and attended Hawkeye Institute of Technology.

She married James A. Smith in Cedar Falls in 1959; they later divorced. She then married Floyd C. Benson in 1968 in Waterloo; they also later divorced.

Working at the Waterloo Public Library for over 27 years was a perfect way for Jeaneene to share her passion and love of books with others. She was also a Mary Kay consultant for 10 years. After retirement she moved to Florida where she spent 10 years living close to her daughter, Juleene. She later returned to Iowa and moved into the Western Home Communities.

She was member of First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls, as well as having been an active member of Niceville Crosspoint Church for 10 years. She previously attended First Wesleyan Church in Waterloo.

She volunteered with the Waterloo Community Playhouse. She also performed in productions at her church in Florida. She was a voracious reader, enjoying autobiographies and historical novels to name a few. She was proud to be a graduate of the Dale Carnegie School.

Jeaneene is survived by three daughters, Juleene (Greg) Hasty of Shalimar‚ FL, Joy (David) Glover of The Woodlands, TX, and Rachel (Mark) McLean of Bixby, OK; son, Allen (Annette) Benson of Waterville, MN; step-daughter, Kathy Clouse(Eugene) of Alden, IA;  step-son, Rodney Benson (Cynthia) of Waterloo, IA; 12 grandchildren; 5 great grandchildren; and two brothers, Robert (Lillian) Kemmerer of Solon, and Thomas (Yvonne) Kemmerer of Peoria, AZ.

She is preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Maurine Kemmerer; and a granddaughter, Ashley Noel.

Jeaneene loved reading the Bible and worshipping her Lord Jesus Christ in song and now she is whole and in His presence.