Mary Anne Damon, 66 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa (formerly of Clinton, Iowa) passed away peacefully at her home on Friday, October 18th. Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 22, at the Chancy Lutheran Church, Clinton, Iowa. A visitation will take place from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 21, at Lemke Funeral Homes - South Chapel (2610 manufacturing drive - west side of Clinton Lawn Cemetery). Following the funeral service, cremation rites will be accorded. Lemke Funeral Homes is assisting the family with arrangements.
Mary was born June 5, 1947 in Clinton, Iowa the daughter of Harold and Mary Jane (Smith) Stahl. Mary Anne grew up with her sister and best friend, Linda, on the family farm outside of DeWitt, Iowa, where she attended school in a One-Room Schoolhouse. In 1959, the family moved to Harrison Drive in Clinton, Iowa. They were members of Chancy Lutheran Church where she was Confirmed in Faith. Mary Anne attended Longfellow Elementary, Washington Junior High, and graduated from Clinton High School in 1965. She attended Mount St. Clair College, Clinton, Iowa, graduating in 1967 with an Associates Degree in Medical Transcription and was an Accredited Records Technician. Mary Anne worked for a number of years at Jane Lamb Hospital in Clinton, before accepting a management position at the Maquoketa Hospital.
While working in Maquoketa, Mary Anne made a phone call that changed her life – on the other end was Christopher Damon, U.S. Navy Corpsman, in Annapolis, MD. Mary Anne and Chris were married November 18, 1978, at Chancy Lutheran Church in Clinton, Iowa. Mary Anne loved the Navy life – she loved to travel and meet new people. Mary Anne and her family moved with the Navy to Navel bases in Brunswick, ME, Corpus Christi, TX, Jacksonville and Pensacola, FL. - especially proud of her rose garden, Mary Anne held the record for most consecutive wins of "Yard of the Month" in Pensacola.
In 1990, Mary Anne and her family moved back to Clinton, Iowa, where they lived in the Lyons neighborhood. Mary Anne worked for the Mercy Medical System as a Medical Transcriptionist for 19 years, excelling in dictation of foreign-language doctors.
On February 27, 2010, Mary Anne was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL.) She fought very hard to beat this cancer, and was thought to be successful after a Stem Cell Transplant from an extremely generous donor on January 19, 2011. The leukemia returned in a localized location in March of 2012, and was successfully beaten back with radiation therapy.
Mary Anne was once again diagnosed with a recurrence of ALL on September 24, 2013. She fought many battles in a short period of time and passed away at home on Friday, October 18, 2013.
Mary Anne never knew a stranger – she spoke to everyone she came across, a trait she picked up from her own mother and then shared with her own three children. She loved to paint in the styles of Bob Ross and Donna Dewberry in oils and acrylics, crafting in general, as well as sewing things for her grandchildren. She could often be seen relaxing at various slot machines in local casinos in her last years. She loved spending time with her family and especially relished in her grandchildren.
Mary Anne is survived by her husband Christopher; her children Erin (Scott) Jones of Altoona, IA; Nathan (Jeramie Patterson) of Clinton, IA; and Shannon Damon of Ankeny, IA; grandchildren Weston Jones and the impending arrival of twin grandsons in January 2014, Zoey Patterson and Paisley Damon; her sister Linda (David) Rabe of Cedar Rapids; parents-in-law James and Flora Damon of San Antonio, TX; siblings-in-law Michael (Sun) Damon, Nanette (John) Gordon, Steven (Susan) Damon, Casey (Kelli) Damon, and Jeffery (Amy) Damon all of Texas; as well as 4 nieces, 3 nephews, and various aunts, uncles and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her parents Harold and Mary Jane Stahl and her maternal and paternal grandparents.
Donations can be made in Mary Anne's honor to the Faith 4 Kayla Scholarship Fund in honor of mom's friend, Kayla Atkins (www.celebratinghome.com).
Please consider being tested as a Bone Marrow Donor to have the opportunity to save the life of a cancer patient!

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Anne Damon, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.