Obituary of Mabel Grace Walters

Mabel Grace Krombein Walters (93) was born on August 5, 1930, to Rev. Albert and Martha Krombein in Ferdonia, North Dakota. She suffered a massive stroke on Sept. 23rd, during the Iowa Football game.  She died on September 27, 2023, at St. Luke’s Hospital and entered into the Kingdom of Heaven after a long and happy life.

As the daughter of a Baptist minister, Mabel grew up in different locations throughout North Dakota, South Dakota, and Canada. She graduated from Eureka High School in SD and attended Sioux Falls College. After that, she attended Sioux Valley Hospital School of Nursing and earned her RN degree.

While attending nursing school, she met Clifford Walters. They fell in love and were married on August 16, 1955, in Freeman, SD. They lived in Gruver and Wheatland, IA, before Clifford took a teaching position in Iowa City in 1959. After moving to their permanent home on Marcy Street in 1960, Mabel briefly worked weekend nights in the OBGYN department at Mercy Hospital until she saved up enough money to purchase a central air conditioner for their house. The Lord took Clifford home in 2005, but with the help of family, friends, and neighbors, Mabel remained in her home until 2013.

Being a homemaker was her true passion. No one loved a clean and orderly house more than Mabel! She loved to bake and entertain guests. She kept impeccable records so that she rarely repeated the same meal to her guests. Clifford and Mabel were remembered by many for their homemade ice cream. As a team, Mabel would mix the ingredients and Clifford would hand churn it. Her family knew that Mabel held down the ship while Clifford sailed it.

Mabel was a founding member of the Iowa City Christian Women’s Club and for years was the telephone chairwoman. Clifford and Mabel were active at The River Community Church (formally Bethany Baptist Church) and found true joy in sharing the message of hope in Jesus Christ. Because of the wide age span of her children, she was a member of the Mark Twain PTA for 19 consecutive years. She was an avid Hawkeye fan. She was a sweet and generous person who drove her children crazy with her many donations to questionable organizations that contacted her by mail.

Clifford and Mabel were world travelers, with one of their last trips being to Cuba. She is now on the trip of her eternal life, headed to Heaven to be reunited with family and friends.

The loved ones who will miss her until we meet again are her children: Carla (Joel) McMillan of Cedar Rapids, Kirk (Sheri) of North Liberty, Kim (Joe) Lee of Colorado Springs, and Carmen (Thad) of Minneapolis.  Grandchildren: Andrew (Maddie) Lee, Lauren Lee, Elizabeth Walters, and Flannery and Maewyn Dahlberg.

Mabel was preceded in death by her parents, husband, older sister Esther Breitkreuz, and younger brother Norman Krombein.

The family wishes to recognize those who helped care for Mabel through the last ten years of her life. Thank you to the kind staff at West Ridge Care Center, Ridgeview Assisted Living, The Views of Marion, and St. Luke’s Hospice for their compassion and support.

Mabel will be laid to rest in Memory Gardens in Iowa City. The family will hold a private memorial gathering at a later date.

While we will miss our mother terribly, our faith tells us that we will see her again. In the meantime, our intention is to celebrate a life well lived. Rest in peace, rise in glory!

Messages to the family can be left at gayandciha.com.