Marlys Elaine Ladd, 91, of Ames, Iowa, died on Sept. 20, 2018.
Marlys Schulz, the only child of Edward and Adeline Eichel Schulz, was born on April 25, 1927, on her grandparents’ farm in Brookings County, near the town of Bruce. She grew up there and attended Eureka No. 57, a one-room school, through eighth grade.
She graduated from Volga High School in 1945 and attended South Dakota State College. On Sept. 11, 1948, she married George Wells Ladd in Brookings and later accompanied him as he pursued graduate study at Michigan State and the University of Illinois.
During these years she continued her studies and worked at various jobs, including at the Sexauer grain elevator in Brookings and the University of Illinois library. She moved to Ames in 1955 and became active in the community while George worked as a professor at Iowa State.
She was a 60-year member of the ISU Women’s Club and she served for many years as a volunteer at the Ames Public Library, Mary Greeley Hospital, and especially at Collegiate United Methodist Church of Ames. She was also devoted to her garden, her birds, and the extensive genealogical research she conducted for herself and others.
She was preceded in death by her husband, George, in 2016. She is survived by her daughter Lisa Ladd and her husband, David Michael, of Ames; son Brian and his wife, Louise Burkhart of Guilderland, New York; granddaughter Clare Ladd of Brookline, Massachusetts; her sister-in-law, Marian Golic of Overland Park, Kansas; a niece, Kay Golic Devine; and two nephews, Kevin and Kent Golic.
A memorial service will be held at Collegiate United Methodist Church in Ames at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27. Visitation will be at Adams Funeral Home in Ames from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Burial will be at the Ames Municipal Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be directed to Collegiate United Methodist Church.
