Wannabelle Mosier, 96, of Muscatine, peacefully passed away on Friday, January 28, 2022, at Addington Place (formerly Sunnybrook) Assisted Living in Muscatine.
A private celebration of life and inurnment will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Muscatine Arboretum where Wannabelle loved to walk among the trees and flowers. The Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made to www.wittichfuneralhome.com.
Wannabelle was born on July 2, 1925, in Fremont, Nebraska, the fourth daughter and fifth child of Donald H. and Clara H. (Johnson) Proper. Later, two more brothers were born into the family. Richard of Donaldson, IA, and Donald of Canton, IL, are the survivors of the seven siblings.
As a child, Wannabelle attended the one room country school in Harrisburg Township, Van Buren County. Her father and later her children attended the same school for a while. She graduated from Bonaparte High School in 1943. She and Dennis Ralph Mosier were united in marriage on June 26,1943, in New Brunswick, NJ., where Denny was stationed before being shipped out to Europe during WWII.
In Wannabelle and Denny’s 59 years of marriage, they resided in Bonaparte and Burlington, IA, then moved to the Proper family homestead in Harrisburg Township. Denny’s job with Farm Service later took them to Fairfield and finally to Muscatine, Iowa. Denny preceded her in death on April 30, 2003.
Wannabelle was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother. She would help out her family in anyway needed and would host family gatherings, especially holidays and special occasions. She loved to travel, read, and spend time with her grandchildren and later her great-grandchildren. She, her siblings, and other family members loved to play cards such as Shanghai and Dummy Rummy. Wannabelle was kind, friendly, and gentle and never afraid of hard work. During her years in Muscatine, she worked at Home-O-Nize (now, HON) and Muscatine County Soil Conservation Service. After retiring, she and Denny would work seasonally at Pioneer Corn. For much of her life, she was a stay-at-home mother and wife. She had been a member of Eastern Star, TTT, and Grace Lutheran Church.
Wannabelle will be deeply missed by her daughters, Cheri (Jim) Powell of St. Charles, IL, Janice (Brad) Fear of Muscatine and daughter-in-law, Brenda (Ronnie) Mosier of Muscatine. She was very close to and greatly loved by her grandchildren, Lisa (Korey) Bunn, Emily (Ryan) Goddard, Joseph (Kim) Axel, Jessica (Brandon) Larson, Jill (Mike) Truyman, Carrie (Kerry) Kenney, Sarah Lippmann, Jacob (Sahar) Hartsock, and step-granddaughter Barbara Chick. She also leaves behind special great-grandchildren Clara, Clayton, Margaret (who was Wannabelle’s “BFF” best friend), Ryan, Rylee, Collin, Cayden, Cooper, Abby, Andrew, Ama, Elan, Auden, Madden, Annabelle, and 12 step-great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren. She loved each and every one of them! Also surviving are Kenny and Helen Mosier, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding Wannabelle in death were her parents, her husband, son Ronald (Ronnie), a brother, Worthy Proper, and her three sisters; Dorothy Morgan, Irene Burns, and Virginia Troutman, as well as numerous brothers-in-law and sisters-in-laws.
Wannabelle, Irene, and Virginia were affectionately called the “Golden Girls” by some of their family. They embraced technology by texting each other into their mid-90s. Topics such as the weather, golf tournaments, Hawkeye ballgames, or other “important” news warranted texts or cellphone calls to each other. Because they were all hard of hearing, listening to their conversations in person was like watching a comedy show! They were sisters first, but great friends for life!
Instead of gathering for a memorial service, the family asks you to toast Wannabelle’s amazing life with a glass of red wine or a Bud Lite, both drinks she occasionally liked.
“When the root is deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.”
Thank you, “WB,” for giving your family deep roots!
