Cecilia “Cece” Claire Cairns, age 87, was born in Melrose, Iowa on September 21, 1932, to Matthew and Cecilia McEniry, and died on January 14, 2020, at Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center, Iowa. Funeral services will be held at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, February 1, 2020, at the Westover Funeral Home in Des Moines with burial to follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Albia, IA. Cece grew up on the family farm in Melrose. She enjoyed three activities the best while growing up, baking pies, mowing the yard, and sewing. She attended school in Melrose, and completed high school at Ottumwa Heights Academy in Ottumwa, Iowa in 1950, and graduated from the academy with the college class of 1952. In school, Cece was known as fun loving, and for being a good dancer. She later earned a Bachelor’s degree in education from Drake University. After college, she taught grade school at Attica, Belle Plaine, and Bondurant Farrar Iowa Community schools. At Belle Plaine, she met another teacher, John Cairns. They were married in 1963 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Belle Plaine, Iowa. They lived in various towns in Iowa and Illinois while John developed his teaching career, before settling in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1978. In 2008 they moved to Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center, Iowa. John and Cece enjoyed spending time together, supporting Iowa State University athletics, and traveling to visit family or Branson, Missouri. Cece was preceded in death by her husband John, sister Mary Catherine, and brother Matthew. She is survived by her brother James (Mary), and numerous nieces and nephews. The family would like to give special thanks to the staff at Spurgeon Manor for their kind and loving support in her final years and for EveryStep Hospice for their kind and loving support in her final days.