Jean L. Romey Winegar, 97, died Tuesday, January 15, 2019. Visitation will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday, January 19, 2019 at McLaren’s Funeral Home, 801 19th Street, West Des Moines with a funeral service at 2 p.m. Burial will follow the service at Resthaven Cemetery.
Mrs. Winegar was born October 3, 1921 in Webster City, IA, to Ray Emile Frye and Berenice Lelia Hilton Frye. She graduated from Dows High School in 1939 and attended Mason City Junior College. She moved to Des Moines from Syracuse, New York in 1960. Jean had lived in Kansas City, MO, Athens, GA, Settle, WA, Harrisburg, PA, and Detroit, MI.
She worked for Tinsley Higgins Lighter & Lyon, Architectural Engineers in Des Moines from 1963 to 1983 as bookkeeper/office manager. In 1980, the firm purchased a computer and she set up the bookkeeping on the computer. She also entered specifications into the computer. When Jean first started working for the Architectural firm, specs were typed by manual typewriter and copied on a Ditto machine which covered everything near in black ink. When the Architectural firm went out of business, she worked for the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, State of Iowa, retiring in 1991.
Her memberships included: Greater Des Moines, Volkssport Association, American Volkssport Association, BPO Does No. 25, Eastern Star, YMCA, bowling leagues, and several bridge clubs. Jean enjoyed reading, traveling, videotaping, and photographing family and traveling. She made many scrapbooks of her pictures. Jean was awarded the IVV Europe cup for Volksmarchers who have participated in at lease one IVV event in at least 14 European member countries. She traveled to Europe six times, four of which were Volkssport walks. Jean was a Girl Scout leader when her daughters were young and was a Mother Advisor of Rainbow Assembly No. 2, Syracuse, NY, the Masonic organization for girls. She helped with choir and Sunday school in her home church, Dows Methodist Church, and other churches in communities where she lived.
Jean was a firm believer in “family comes first” and she was fiercely proud of the family and their achievements and her Frye family heritage.
Jean is survived by her children, Toni Ponczkowski of Buffalo, NY, Sue Moore of Des Moines, and Joel (Stephanie) Romey of Adel; six grandchildren, Gregory (Heather) Hufnagel, Kimberly (Jeff) Motala, Carolyn Vassily, Jason (Jessica) Romey, Jessica (Dave) Allison, and Angela (Richard “Rocky”) Kinney; 16 great-grandchildren; 3 great-great grandchildren; sister, Betty Jane McClenahan of MN; 8 nieces and nephews; and numerous great and great-great-nieces and nephews.
Jean was proceeded in death by husbands, L. Max Romey and Raymond A. Winegar; parents; brother; son-in-law; two sisters-in-law; and a brother-in-law.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Lung Association or the Shriner Children’s Hospital.
