Obituary of Kay Monkelien

Services for Kay Monkelien, 83, of Spencer will be conducted at 11:00 AM, Saturday, February 3, at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Spencer. Family will visit with friends one hour prior to the memorial service at the church. Burial will be in the Grant Township Cemetery, Pocahontas, Iowa at a later date. Kay passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on January 17, 2018. Kay Kleo Monkelien was born on May 4, 1934 in Pocahontas, Iowa, the daughter of Loell and Hazel (Forbes) Streit. She grew up in Pocahontas and graduated from Pocahontas High School in 1952. On December 5, 1953 she married Basil Monkelien at the Elfsborg Lutheran Church in Pomeroy, Iowa. Kay was a homemaker also working for many years as a telephone operator, for the Arden Hills, MN school system and the Fort Madison Hospital. She and Basil retired to Spencer in 1997. Kay loved the Lord, her family, her many friends and her church family at Trinity Lutheran. Legally blind for over 20 years, she continued to live an independent life, working tirelessly for her family, church and community. She spent many years facilitating the Spencer Area Visually Impaired-Blind Support Group receiving the Governor's Volunteer award in 2006 for her service. Kay especially loved being a Grandma to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, fun with her special friends and quiet times spent on her porch visiting. Left to cherish her memory are her children, Sandra Peterson and her husband Dan of Ames, Iowa, Sheryl Monkelien, of Wellsboro, PA, Scott Monkelien and his wife Nanette of Stetsonville, WI , her son-in-law Jeff Wodka of McKinney, TX, brother Gary Streit and his wife Sue of Florence, OR, her grandchildren Annie Huls and her husband Brett, Emily Peterson, Sara Wodka, Jake Wodka, Kayla Monkelien, Krista Monkelien, her great-grandchildren Conner, Clara and Chase Huls, and many dearly loved cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Basil, her parents, and her daughter Sue Wodka. Kay was greatly loved and will be greatly missed. The family would like to give special thanks to the Spencer Hospital Hospice staff for their wonderful care and to Kay's many friends who provided needed help and support for so many years. In lieu of flowers, memorial may be directed to the family.