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Lyllis Marie (Schaefer) Friest
Lyllis Marie (Schaefer) Friest, 84, of Des Moines, died Friday, December 11, 2015, at Bishop Drumm Care Center in Johnston. She passed peacefully under the attentive care of the Bishop Drumm and Mercy Hospice staff. Lyllis, daughter of Orville E. and Carrie V. (Specht) Schaefer, was born November 8, 1931, in Oskaloosa, Iowa. She lived in several Iowa communities growing up, and graduated from Frankin High School in Cedar Rapids in 1949. Lyllis married Roger Thomas Friest on October 25, 1957, and the couple raised one daughter. Lyllis worked as a secretary and office manager for many years, first with Long-Bell Lumber Company in Cedar Rapids, and later with Type-A-Service, Presto-X-Company, and ABC Pest Control in Des Moines. She was a full-time homemaker and active PTA volunteer, homeroom mother, and Camp Fire leader during her daughter's childhood. Known for her outspoken nature and exuberant laughter, Lyllis made lifelong friends in the places she lived as well as through her many activities and online clubs. She was always alert for new things to do, places to go, and ways to surprise or indulge the people she cared about. Lyllis loved Iowa Hawkeye football; everything Christmas; 40s-era music and movies; baking; attending shows and concerts; collecting Swarovski crystal, Hallmark ornaments, and Steiff bears; traveling; and spending time with her daughter and family. Some of her fondest memories were of family trips to New York, NY, Willamsburg, VA, and the 1986 Rose Bowl game; and a tour to Austria with the Swarovski Crystal Society. Lyllis is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Cathy (Friest) and Robert Rodgers, of Wichita; her granddaughter, Erin Rodgers, of Rochester, NY; her sister-in-law, Nancy (Spracklin) Schaefer (Glen), of West Des Moines; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Roger; her brother, Glen Schaefer; and nephews Craig Schaefer and Bradley Schaefer. Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, December 27, 2015 at Iles Westover Chapel in Des Moines. Funeral services will be held at Westover on Monday, December 28 at 10:30 a.m. Graveside services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Monday at Conrad Cemetery, Conrad, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Lyllis's name may be made to Bishop Drumm Care Center or to Mercy Hospice. Online condolences will be welcomed at www.Ilescares.com. "<a href=http://ilesfuneralhomes.com/pdf/FriestLyllis.pdf>Click here to view memorial folder</a>" ARRANGEMENTS BY ILES ~ WESTOVER CHAPEL.November 8, 1931 - December 11, 201511/08/193112/11/2015
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