Marian Hesla
Marian R. Hesla, age 87, of Waterville passed away peacefully surrounded by her family Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at the Good Samaritan Center in Waukon. A Celebration of Life service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, June 15 at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon with Pastor Mark Oehlert officiating. Friends may greet the family from 9 a.m. until the time of the service.
A luncheon will follow in the church basement. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Waterville EMS, Waterville Cemetery or to Veterans Memorial Health Care Foundation in Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.
Marian Ruth Hesla was born September 9, 1938, in Waterville to George and Cordie (Jacob) Schrampfer. Her early years began in the Waterville area, where her father worked locally, including on a family farm owned by Sven Hesla, who would later become her father-in-law. In 1939, Marian’s family moved to Missouri, where she spent much of her childhood until returning to Iowa in 1955 to a small farm near Elkader. She completed her senior year and graduated in 1956 from Elkader Central High School.
After graduation, Marian worked at the Clayton County Extension Office for several years while Rudy served in the U.S. Army. Following an exchange of love letters and an eighteen-month courtship, she married the love of her life August 13, 1960, at the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Elkader, beginning a loving partnership that would span 65 years. Together, they built their life on the Hesla family farm, where they started their family and lovingly raised their four children.
Marian lived a long and meaningful life, devoted to her family and grounded in her values of faith, kindness, and compassion. She will be remembered for her patience, her kind and caring smile, her selfless nature, and her endless love for Rudy.
She will be remembered for her gift of cooking, gardening, canning, and for the many special traditions she created for her family. Each year, she sewed heartfelt Christmas gifts for her grandchildren until she was no longer able.
Marian will forever be known for her cinnamon rolls, lefse, and cucumber pickles, as well as the cherished slumber parties she hosted on the living room floor for her grandchildren (with an unlimited amount of buttered popcorn), who will forever remember the smell of waking up to fried eggs and bacon - a simple comfort made in a special way only she could provide. She also sang a lullaby of her own creation, “The Little Birdie Song,” as she softly rocked and comforted her grandchildren - a melody they will never forget.
She worked hard alongside Rudy, and was always readily available to throw hay bales, plow fields, or rake hay. It was not uncommon for her to butcher, clean, and freeze 125 chickens over the course of a week to provide for her family.
She was also deeply committed to the Waterville Lutheran Church, serving as organist for over 20 years and dedicating her time to Sunday school, Bible school, and ladies’ church groups. After the church closed in 2010, Marian and Rudy became members of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon.
Marian’s life was a true blessing, and she will be deeply missed and forever remembered by all who knew and loved her.
Marian is survived by her best friend and devoted husband Rudy; their four children: Linda (Bill) Halvorson, Gary (Shelley) Hesla, Lori (Trent) Jacobs, and Karen (Steve) Wacker; 11 grandchildren: Meghan, Michael, Mary, Brooke, Brett, Ryan, Danyce, Kelsey, Linsey, Logan, and Leah; 12 great-grandchildren (and counting); a sister, Eunice (Harold) Scheer; her sisters-in law, Joan Schrampfer, Marilyn Schrampfer, and Kerry Kincaid; and nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her brothers, Willis, David, and Dan Schrampfer; her mother- and father-in-law, Sven and Elsie Hesla; and her brother-in-law Myron Hesla.
Urn bearers are Marian’s children and their spouses, while honorary urn bearers are her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
