Marlene Memorial service on November 21, 2020 link: https://vimeo.com/482075425



Marlene life video click link: https://vimeo.com/481436513


Katherine "Marlene" Birlingmair, 88, of Ames, Iowa, passed at Accura Healthcare of Ames on November 14, 2020. A service will be held at 10:00 am, Saturday November 21, 2020 at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care, 414 Lincoln Way Ames, Iowa 50010. A link will be provided on Marlene's obituary page on the Grandon website.

Marlene was born on May 24, 1932 at home in Lamoni, Iowa to John and Margaret (Ashburn) Omstead. She was baptized in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS, now called Community of Christ) and was an active member until she could no longer physically attend. Marlene graduated from Lamoni High School in 1950 and Broadlawns School of Nursing, Des Moines, Iowa, as a Registered Nurse in 1953. She worked at Ringgold County Hospital for four years before meeting her husband. Marlene married David Harold Birlingmair on May 18th, 1955 at the RLDS Church in Lamoni. After they were married they moved to Colorado Springs due to Dave being in the Army. After he was discharged, they moved to Boone, Iowa where their oldest son, Shawn was born. Then they moved to Des Moines, Iowa, and their only daughter, Kimberly was born. Later they moved back to Boone, where their son Douglas was born. They moved to Ames and made their home at Tiller's Trailer Court. They moved to another trailer that was parked on the property where they would build two homes in Rookwood Subdivision. Marlene enjoyed staying at home with her children throughout their school years. Later, she would take a nursing job at Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames, and then Iowa Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines .

Marlene and her family spent part of the summers camping throughout the western United States, visiting friends and relatives along the way. She was close to her family and spent many holidays with them, creating treasured memories for her children. Marlene was an excellent seamstress and made clothes for her family. She also enjoyed knitting, gardening and making bread and cinnamon rolls from a sourdough starter she maintained.
Marlene also enjoyed attending the Iowa State Fair from the time she was young going with her parents and siblings, to passing on the experience to her children and grandchildren. She and Dave would park their RV at the Fair Campgrounds and spend the duration of the fair in the company of other families and friends.
After the children had left home, she and Dave enjoyed traveling in their RV, each one getting larger each time they traded in. They enjoyed many visits with their grandchildren. In later years, they lived at the Valle de Oro in Mesa, Arizona, during the winter months.

Left to cherish Marlene's memory is her children: Shawn David (Dana) Birlingmair, Kimberly Dawn Hoover (Thomas Kline) of Ames and Douglas Kent (Laura) Birlingmair of Fort Collins, CO. Eight grandsons: Joel, Michael and Noah Birlingmair, Travis, Kaleb and Adam Hoover, Joshua and John "Jack" Birlingmair, and great-grandson Daniel Birlingmair, her sister Myrna Morris, of Lamoni, nieces Shelly Morris and Sherry Morris, Roxanna Omstead Crawford, Dianna Haurum, LuAnne Utterback and Suzanna G. Omstead, and Katie Omstead; and nephews Michael Morris, Patrick Morris, and Jordan Omstead.

Marlene is preceded in death by her husband, parents and brothers Keith , Kenneth and Kevin Omstead.

The family would like to extend their thanks to Waterford Assisted Living, Ames, Accura Healthcare Center, Suncrest Home Health and Hospice for providing loving care for our mother in her later years.

Online condolences may be directed to www.Grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com