Memorial

Vivian Ilene (Ellison) Park, 91, of Cedar Rapids, passed away, Saturday, November 1, 2014, at the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy following a long illness.  Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at the Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories with Chaplain Christine Wagner-Hecht of Mercy Hospice officiating.  Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 PM on Monday, November 3, 2014 at the Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home.  Entombment will be at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.

Surviving are her children MarJoan Rhodes and husband Byron and Sharon Smyth and husband Marvin all of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Roger (Trish) Zahradnik, Barbara (Tom) Klein, Eric (Shelley) Smyth, Sandra (Mike) Barnard, Malinda (Tim) Tighe, Thad Rhodes; great grandchildren, Anthony (Sarah) Zahradnik, Dustin (April) Zahradnik, Sarah (Michael Becker) Gibbs , Nichole (Jeff) Glau, Nathan (Jenny) Klein, Stephanie Klein and Kayla Tighe, Alyssa (Wade) Miller, Arianna Smyth, Alexander Smyth, Austin Smyth, Brittany Barnard and Hunter Barnard; great great grandchildren, Titan, Hannah, Odessa, Addison, Lindsay and Ethan; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; 5 brothers, George, Donald, Wilbur, Orpha and Walter; one sister, Myrtle; and her beloved husband Howard who preceded her in death on March 20, 1973.

Vivian Ilene (Ellison) Park was born on January 11, 1923 in Mechanicsville in Linn Township the daughter of Ogal L. and Bertha (Coster) Ellison.  She was united in marriage to Howard C. Park on December 15, 1939 in Clinton, Iowa.  She was employed for 33 years at Square D as a proud member of the Machinists Union.  She volunteered for Horizon’s Meals on Wheels and donated crocheted baby hats for the area hospitals.  She enjoyed embroidering, baby quilts, crocheting, flowers and gardening, and watching the Chicago Cubs.  Vivian was a charter member of Eagle’s Club and a longtime member of Kenwood Park Presbyterian Church.  Above all, her greatest enjoyment was time spent with family, especially all her beloved grandchildren.

Memorial donations in Vivian’s honor may be made to Horizon’s Meals on Wheels, 819 5th Street SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401 or American Cancer Society in honor of Howard C. Park.