Maryann Mccollough

On June 6, 1924 MaryAnn Bierwirth McCollough was born in a farmhouse mile outside of Charter Oak, IA to parents Mary Rademacker Bierwirth and John Bierwirth. Eight years later MaryAnn’s beloved brother Jack was born 1932. After the death of MaryAnn’s father in 1959, her mother remarried Raymond Martin with whom she enjoyed a very loving and close relationship until his death.
Growing up, MaryAnn attended and graduated eigth grade from Zion Lutheran School, and was confirmed in the Lutheran faith by Reverend Carl Schmidt when she was thirteen. MaryAnn remained a devout Lutheran her entire life and was an active member of Zion Lutheran Church in Denison, taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, and was a member (and also Secretary) of DORCAS Society. At thirteen MaryAnn moved from Charter Oak to Denison, IA where her father was employed as a mechanic and she began attending school there. MaryAnn graduated from Denison High School in 1942 and met her future husband, Earl McCollough, while she was still a student. When Earl was deployed to Iran during WWII, MaryAnn and her family, like many, would move to Bellevue, NE where she and her Father would proudly serve their country at the Glenn L. Martin Bomber Plant in Omaha, NE. While working at the plant, MaryAnn went to school and was tasked with installing aircraft electrical systems and also worked as one of the famed “Riviters.” MaryAnn would later say “that she would never give those years and memories up for anything and that it was one of the best things she ever did with her life.” When Earl returned home from the war, they married on June 2, 1946 and would have two children, Candace and Ray.
Most may remember MaryAnn during her 25 year tenure as the spunky and ever stylish fixture of the Reynold’s clothing store in Denison, but her time at Reynold’s was just one small part of her life. MaryAnn also worked for The Denison Bulletin, was a teacher at a county school, and a clerk at the old Dean Franklin Grocery Store. MaryAnn had a sharp mind and was a lover of history, especially the World War II era, she enjoyed crosswords and would work the puzzles from the weekend papers on a regular basis. MaryAnn was very much a patriot and she passionately supported our military, the Republican Party and would never back down from a political debate. MaryAnn attended Republican Conventions in Washington DC, Chicago, and Des Moines and was an active member in Republican Women’s organizations. MaryAnn spent her time following professional football, the New York Yankees, NASCAR, and for many years soap operas. She loved Bob Segar, Dooney and Bourke, Seinfield, and a good cup of coffee. MaryAnn was an “American Car Aficionado” and could tell you the make and model of just about any car on the road. In a letter to her granddaughter she once wrote that “. . .in one way or another her whole life and the lives of those she loved was touched by cars and the automobile industry. Her father was a mechanic, her stepfather a mechanic, her brother owned a Conoco Station, her husband owned a car dealership, and her son had once owned a racecar.” In the kitchen, she always had cookies in the jar and made the absolute best potato salad. She had a stash of licorice in her purse and could play cards with the best of them. MaryAnn loved to read murder mysteries and send postcards and go to Wal Mart. MaryAnn was very well traveled and spent time cruising the Mediterranean and Mexico, and touring throughout Europe. She rode camels in Cairo and danced the hula in Hawaii, and was known to frequent any open Dillards department store that would have her. MaryAnn was a cat lover and she was a kind and attentive friend to them, and they to her.
MaryAnn joined her grandparents, Alvina and John Rademaker; parents; step-father; sister-in-law, Maisie Bierwirth; her husband, and many others in heaven on the morning of February 17th, 2014. MaryAnn was with her family at her bedside during her final moments. MaryAnn is survived by her children Candace and Ray and his fiancee, Rebecca Bullard; her granddaughter Tegwin; her brother Jack and his children, Sandy, John, Matt, Pam, and all of their spouses and children; her niece Linda; her good friends Cate Vermeland and Mike Treinen; and all of her cats.