Obituary of Mary A. Frees

Mary A. Frees, 81, of Iowa City, passed away Friday, March 3, 2017. Funeral services will be held 6 p.m., Monday March 6th with a time of visitation prior to the service from 4 p.m. until the service at Gay & Ciha Funeral Service in Iowa City. Family interment will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Newport Township. Memorials may be made to the Mary Frees Memorial Fund. Mary Ann Griffin was born January 26, 1936 in her family home in Solon, Iowa. She graduated from Solon High School and attended beauty school in Cedar Rapids. She worked over 50 years as a beautician in Solon. Mary married Francis Steinbrech and together they had two children; Debra and David. Years later, in January of 1986, Mary was united in marriage to Robert Frees. Together Mary and Bob shared their love for Hawkeye athletics, tailgating at football games and attending many events, until Bob’s death in 2007. Mary’s love for the Hawks never dwindled, frequently listening on the radio or TV. She was also a longtime supporter of the Chicago Cubs. For many years Mary has also baked for the Iowa City Farmers Market, sharing her kolaches with many in the area. She was a member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church and the National Catholic Society of Foresters. Her family includes her children, Debra Kabela and her husband, Don of Solon and David Steinbrech and his wife, Naomi of Solon; grandchildren, David Brown of Cedar Rapids, Monica Steinbrech and her husband, Giovanni Wuisan of Epworth and Molly Jo Steinbrech of Solon and her great-grandchildren, Gianna, Hudson and Nola. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, husband, Bob, and an infant sister.