Mary Frances (Kircher) Lewis, 90, affectionately known as “Grandma Lewey”, passed away peacefully on October 2, 2022, surrounded by the love and support of her family.

Visitation will be held on Friday, October 7th at 9 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. at Church of the Resurrection on Asbury Road, Dubuque, Iowa. Committal will be held following the funeral service at the Mount Calvary Chapel.

Kind, funny, mischievous, energetic, loving, sweet, loyal, generous, faithful, stoic…all of these being words used to describe the genuine person that was Mary Lewis. Married to the love of her life, Bob, Mary blossomed into a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, and played each role beautifully. Throughout their 67 years of marriage, she was always energetic and found any excuse she could to celebrate her love of music by dancing and singing with Bob, and her family, no matter the place.

Mary was a wonderful mother and role model to her 3 daughters, demonstrating loyalty, hard work, and true unconditional love that was passed down through the generations. One example of many being the time Bob was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1957, Mary learned how to drive a car in just a few weeks to visit him at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals in Madison and took extra shifts to support her family without complaint.  

Through good times and bad, mom never wavered on her faith but always placed her life challenges in the hands of God.  She faithfully attended mass and prayed the rosary novena daily.  She was kind and compassionate to anyone in need and lifted their spirits through prayers and hugs.

Family meant everything to Mary, and she meant everything to her family. The glue holding each heart together, she was the definition of a bright light.  She lit every room she walked into. Those in her life had the privilege of sharing in this light throughout all family traditions, all of which she held firmly and enthusiastically to.

A small but mighty woman, Mary was proud of her 40-year career at H&W Motor Express Company. She learned many lessons for a woman of her time and was sure to pass those lessons on to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It wouldn’t be a visit to Grandma Lewey’s house without a “You study hard now!”, “Think happy thoughts!”, or “You stay out of trouble”.

Be it 5 minutes or 50 years, Mary is a soul that truly left a lasting impression. Her kindness, generosity, prayers and compassion touched the lives of many – an honor that will undoubtedly surpass the test of time.

Mary is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Robert (Bob) Lewis, her parents, Leland and Bernadette (Grotkin) Kircher, her four sisters, Helen (Robert) Schroeder, Leota (Lode) Kircher, Kathleen (Albert “Huck”) Greenwald and Arlene Conrad, her grandson Christopher Anderson, Jr., her son-in-law Jerry Coble, and her beloved family-friend Eloise Kehrli. She is survived by her three daughters, Patricia (Patti) Coble, Lynn (Tom) Biver, and Karen (Ken) Kimbro, as well as her 9 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren, and brother-in-law Wayne “Fritz” Conrad.

 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made out to Hospice of Dubuque.

The family would like to thank Glenanne, Dar, and Tracy for their kind and gentle support, along with Dr. Michael Peroski, Dr. Chris Stille, Dr. Mark Hermann, Jeremiah, and Hospice of Dubuque nursing staff.