Florence Margaret Kudej

Florence M. Kudej, 87, of Forest City died Wednesday, April 13, 2016 at the Madrid Home for the Aging in Madrid, Iowa.

A Funeral Mass will be held 10:30 A.M., Saturday, April 16, 2016 at St. James Catholic Church, 906 West O St., Forest City with Father Paul Lippstock officiating.

Burial will be at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery in Duncan, IA.

Visitation will be held 4:00 to 7:00 P.M., Friday at the Cataldo Schott Funeral Chapel in Forest City with a Rosary Service at 4:00 P.M. and a Scriptural Wake Service held at 7:00 P.M. Visitation will also continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials to St. James Catholic Church or Madrid ACTS fund.

Florence Margaret Currier, the daughter of Fred and Ida (Kolb) was born in Sanborn, MN on September 28, 1928, while her mother was visiting relatives. Florence graduated from Holy Family Catholic School in 1947 and worked as a nurse’s aide at Mercy Hospital in Mason City, IA, where she met her future husband, Donald Kudej. On January 4, 1949, they were married at Holy Family Catholic Church in Mason City, Iowa. They made their home on a farm near Duncan until 1955 when they moved to a farm near Wesley, IA. In 1963, they moved to their acreage in Forest City, IA where they raised their 6 children.

Florence was a dedicated wife and mother, but she also had a gift of service to help others. She worked at the Forest City Municipal Hospital until her retirement in 1990. After her retirement, she continued as a Winnebago County Home Health Aide for 10 years. After the loss of her husband of 61 years she moved to Madrid, IA, in 2010.
Throughout the years Florence was a member of the Forest City Ambulance, Catholic Daughters of America, American Legion Auxiliary, St. James Guild, Farm Bureau Women, and various neighborhood clubs. Family was very important to Florence. Many holiday traditions and Christian values were practiced and are carried on by her children and grandchildren. Florence always baked kolaches for family gatherings; she enjoyed making crocheted gifts; she loved reminiscing about the railroad as her dad was a train engineer; she enjoyed watching reruns of her favorite TV shows, especially Lawrence Welk.

Left to cherish her memory are her children: Lawrence (Kim) Kudej, Swisher, IA; Joyce (Sanford) Gruhn, Humboldt, IA; Keith (Charla) Kudej, Madrid, IA; Dr. Raymond (Amy) Kudej of Westborough, MA; David (Laura) Kudej of Forest City; son-in-law Jim (Tracy) Voss, Mason City, IA. Also surviving are 12 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren: Matthew Kudej, Minneapolis, MN; 2 step grandchildren; Matt (Rebecca) Brown, Lone Tree, IA and Kate (Tracy) Treiber, Columbus, OH; Angie (Cory) Clark and children Allie and Liam, Ankeny; Andrew Voss, Iowa City; Dan (Catherine) Gruhn Kasson, MN; Joe (Mary) Gruhn and son Thomas, Maple Grove MN; Adam (Lindsey) Kudej, Iowa City; Chuck Kudej, Mason City; Emma and Ellie Kudej, Westborough, MA; Anton, Josef, and Sophia Kudej, Forest City; a sister, Mary Ellen Hanson and brother, Owen Currier, both of Mason City.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband Donald; daughter, Donna Voss; grandchildren, Michael Kudej and Christine Gruhn; brother, Fr. Thomas Currier; sisters, Marjorie Curtis, Kathleen Lockwood and her husband Ralph; brother-in-law John Hanson all of Mason City, IA.