Besse Siemer

Besse Agnes Siemer was born December 4, 1913, the daughter of Frank and Jesse Butler Marr. She died Thursday, May 20, 2010, at the Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison, Iowa, at the age of ninety-six.
Besse was born in Arion, Iowa. She received her education in the area, graduating from the Dow City High School with the class of 1921. On August 9, 1935, Besse was united in marriage to Joseph Siemer in Carroll, Iowa. The couple settled in Denison and were blessed with the birth of five children. During their lives together, they operated a caf in Denison while Joe also worked with his brother in the concrete business.
She was a loving and caring wife, mother, and grandmother who enjoyed time together with her family. She enjoyed telling stories and had a great sense of humor. She made time for her friends, often having them over for coffee and visiting. She loved doing embroidery and the challenge of crossword puzzles. She loved dancing and enjoyed dancing with her husband. A favorite pastime was going to Nebraska for horse racing and gambling, and she would make short vacations out of going to the horse races. She had a keen sense of judgment when choosing a horse for a race and knew several owners of the horses. She was a Cornhusker fan.
Besse was preceded in death by her parents; her husband in 1995; one granddaughter, Staci; two sisters: Vivian Martens and Flo Meece; three brothers: Bill Marr, Dale Marr and Rex Marr. Survivors include two daughters: Mary Jo Rasmussen and her husband, Lee of Ames, Iowa; and Terri Siemer of Phoenix, Arizona; three sons: Dale Siemer and his wife, Jeanne of Topock, Arizona; Jim Siemer and his wife, Cheryl of Lincoln, Nebraska; and Ric Siemer and special friend, Marlene Anderson of Denison; sixteen grandchildren; twenty-five great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; two sisters: Verna Miller of Dunlap, Iowa, and Ina Ulmer of Denison; many other relatives and friends.