Marie Ellen Book Mealiff, 93, of Des Moines, Iowa was received into God’s loving arms on Monday, July 26, 2021. Visitation at 10am and Celebration of Life at 11am will be held on Monday, August 9, 2021 at Valley United Methodist Church, 4201 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, Iowa with in-person and online streaming. VUMC mask guidelines will be observed. Private burial at Resthaven Cemetery will be held later.
Marie Ellen Book was born October 7,1927 in Storm Lake, Iowa to Edmund and Ellen (Swan) Book.
Growing up on a farm, she graduated as valedictorian at Storm Lake High School. Marie attended the
University of Iowa her freshman year, then transferred to Iowa State College completing her degree in
Home Economics in 1950. She spent six months in the Netherlands with the International Farm Youth
Exchange program. Marie married Lester Charles Mealiff in Nevada, Iowa in 1951. They had met at Iowa
State College. They moved to Humboldt, Iowa where they both accepted teaching positions in the
Humboldt school system.
Marie stayed home after their first daughter was born and then became a full time mom as the next four
daughters arrived. She was very active in the local United Methodist Church as well as the Republican
Party. She was a 4-H leader for many years receiving the Iowa State 4-H Alumni Award in 1968. She had a green thumb and her garden was the envy of her family and community. The Mealiffs moved to West Des Moines in 1972 after Les changed jobs in the banking industry.
After their daughters were raised and in conjunction with her work at Wesley Retirement Services, Marie
completed a second degree in Health Care Administration from DMACC. Marie retired in 1994 from Wesley Retirement Services after nearly 20 years where she was both Administrator and Special Assistant to the President. She was very active in her church serving on the administrative board and building committee as well as being a member of the Iowa Board of Global Ministries. She was awarded the “Chairperson of the Year” honor by the United Methodist Health and Welfare Association. She was awarded the Francis Lockner Humanitarian Award by the State Chapter of the Iowa Association of Homes For the Aging in 1993.
Marie accomplished a huge endeavor and published a book “The Story of a Lifetime”, a keepsake of her
personal memoirs which she shared with family. She especially enjoyed reminiscing about the memories
with her twin brother Leonard. Marie’s other loves were reading books, gardening and making greeting
cards for all seasons.
Marie returned to Wesley Acres in 2015 to happy memories and friends on every floor. Following a fall in
March 2020, she struggled healthwise. We greatly appreciated her wonderful caregivers at Wesley's Austin Center as well as the compassionate Wesley Hospice team.
Marie was preceded in death by her parents, five brothers - Donald, Marvin, Wayne, Leonard, Max, and
her husband Les after 37 wonderful years of marriage. She is survived by her five favorite daughters and their families: Terri Mealiff, Florida;
Cyndee (John) Johnson, West Des Moines, and daughters Meredith (Jake) Johnson and Camden and
Genevieve, and Morgan Johnson; Jennifer (Larry) McLellan, West Des Moines, and their children Danielle (Chris) Anderson and Austin, Michael (Ali) McLellan, and Nicole (Drew) Koeller and Lainey; Stephanie (Jeff) Mesick, Omaha and children Preston (Erin) Mesick and Eden, and Lauren Mesick and son Liam Finnell; and Wendy (Chuck) Current, Urbandale and daughter Kelly Current. She is also survived by sisters-in-law Dorothy Book and Marge Book and several wonderful nieces and nephews.
A wonderful wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother and friend - she will be greatly missed by all.
Memorials may be given to Valley United Methodist Church Foundation, the 4-H Foundation at Iowa State
University, Wesley Acres Good Samaritan Fund or to West Des Moines Human Services.
Live streaming will be able through the McLaren's Resthaven Chapel Facebook page as well as the Valley United Methodist Church. You can view at www.valleyumc.org
