Obituary of Mildred Jane Brothers Carney

Mildred Jane Brothers Carney Mildred Jane Brothers Carney age 99, of Iowa City and Des Moines and (1924-1955) Algona entered the next chapter in her eternal life’s journey onward an upward, quietly and peacefully at home in Iowa City, in the arms of her son, Edward and daughter-in-law Kathy Carney. Joyful by the recent visit of her daughters and family and friends, and embraced by their love, she found much comfort and happiness in the surroundings of her photos and mementos of all those present and gone. With her favorite music playing and the smell of fresh-cut flowers in the air she made the crossing gently at 9:30 PM on July 5th, 2006 after several months of preparation. Cremation by Gay and Ciha Iowa City with a ceremony at a future date in the family’s area of rest at Riverview in Algona, Iowa. Memorials or Gifts should be sent to the wonderful Iowa City Hospices or your local Hospices. She was born of Fredrick G. and Ella J. (Pond) Brothers on the 3rd of March 1907 in Emmetsburg, Iowa. In 1925, as a graduate of Hamilton College Mason City, Iowa she found work as a bookkeeper in Algona, and soon married Edward R. Carney. After four children and 30 years of life as a homemaker and a working woman, the family moved from Algona to Des Moines. There both her husband and Mildred discovered new challenges and careers. For a decade she was an office supervisor at Blank Children’s Hospital, until at age 65 she moved across the lobby to a less demanding job at Iowa Methodist Hospital, working there until she was age78. Mildred loved traveling and visiting and corresponding with her far-flung family and friends, collecting pictures of them to adorn her home. She knitted gifts, sewed and made clothes into her late 90’s. She also loved to drive and with wooden blocks to extend the car’s pedals began driving at age 12 under her father’s watchful eye and continued driving until she was 92. She traveled thru-out and across the country in all directions numerous times. She was a voracious reader, and in recent years spent time with two daily papers, four favorite magazines, as well as Readers Digest, National Geographic, novels, mysteries and biographies. She worked for more than 50 years on Crossword and math puzzles and spent several hours a day with TV newscasts to keep herself sharp. Another interest was to use her Big World Globe and collection of maps to keep track of places in the news. Past activities included membership and holding offices in service clubs like the Daughters of the American Revolution, Rebekah Lodge, Colonial Dames, The Founders and Patriots of America and for a short time The Iowa City Women’s Club. She was active for decades in the various activities of the Methodist Churches in Algona and Des Moines. She has survived her parents, all four of her siblings, one son Chauncey Carney, numerous uncles, aunts, cousins and almost every one of her contemporaries. Her legacy leaves three living children Roberta (Wallace) Officer, Mt. Airy, Md., Jane (Ross) Reynolds, Toronto, Ca., and Edward (Kathy) Carney Iowa City, Ia., as well as Mavis Carney of O’Fallon, Mo. (wife of deceased son Chauncey) and for the continuum, to lead the way into the next centuries 14 beloved grandchildren and 18 beloved great-grandchildren. Messages to the family may be made online at www.gayandciha.com.