Conley Wolterman

Conley Wolterman

1928 – 2026

IDA GROVE - Conley Wolterman, 97, of Ida Grove, passed away on her mom’s birthday, New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2026, at the Golden Horizons Assisted Living in Ida Grove, surrounded by her son Brian, daughter-in-law Beth, and granddaughter Arielle.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ida Grove with Pastor Neil Wehmas officiating. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 9-10:30 a.m. Committal services will follow at the Sacred Heart Catholic Cemetery of Ida Grove.

The Christensen-Van Houten Funeral Home of Ida Grove, is in charge of the funeral arrangements. Condolences may be sent online at www.christensenvanhouten.com

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Ida County Historical Society in Conley’s memory. Memorials may be directed to Brian Wolterman, 1210 Ridgeview Drive, Ida Grove, Iowa 51445.

Conley Mae Wolterman was born Oct. 7, 1928, in Battle Creek, Iowa, daughter of Volquart and Leona (Ludwig) Harder. She was baptized at the Battle Creek Lutheran Church on Nov. 25, 1928, and later confirmed at the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Ida Grove.

Conley grew up on the family farm about 10 miles southwest of Ida Grove. She attended primary school through the eighth grade at Grant #9 country school near her farm. She was valedictorian of the Ida Grove High School Class of 1946. She worked as a secretary at the Ida Grove High School from 1946-47 under superintendent W.E. Young and principal John Montgomery.

Conley married Vernon Frank Wolterman on May 15, 1948, at the Catholic parish in Ida Grove, about three years after Vernon returned from serving as a paratrooper in World War II. They had met the summer before at a dance at the Cobblestone Ballroom in Storm Lake.

Soon after her wedding, she began work as a bookkeeper at the McIntosh Livestock Auction Barn in Ida Grove for 32 years. Her sister-in-law Lucy was working there and recruited Conley to help.

Conley and Vernon were blessed with four children: Myra Fae, Michael Jon, Brian Keith, and Brad Douglas. The family lived on a farm southwest of Ida Grove before moving to town in 1979. Conley lived in this home on Zobel Lane until age 92, then moved to Golden Horizons Assisted Living in Ida Grove in 2021.

In 1969, Conley started work in advertising at GOMACO Corporation in Ida Grove and later moved into invoicing, accounting and shipping responsibilities. Her starting pay was $1.60 an hour and she used her own Royal manual typewriter for nine months before the offices were equipped at the new company. She held this position for 31 years, retiring in 2000. She was honored with one of the company’s first H.W. Godbersen Awards, based on attendance, attitude, loyalty, job performance, leadership qualities and integrity.

Conley was active on many levels in the community and county. She served as unit president and county president in the McNamara Moore Unit 61 American Legion Auxiliary. She also served as District 9 Legion Auxiliary president and Department of Iowa American Legion Auxiliary historian and chaplain. She served as chairman of several state Auxiliary departments. She received several Auxiliary awards, including the American Legion Auxiliary National Public Relations Award in 1986 and the National American Legion Education Award in 1991. For many years, she marched in parades with the Ida Grove American Legion Auxiliary Color Guard.

Conley was very active in the Ida County Historical Society, where she held all offices over the years. She was very passionate about preserving local history and sharing it with others. She helped maintain collections and gave tours at the Stagecoach Inn and Moorehead Museum in Ida Grove. She was known for her flag and patriotism programs held during the Historical Society’s country school days at Moorehead Park and in local schools for more than 20 years.

She was active in recording area history and helping families with genealogy. She found lost relatives for many families by walking cemeteries and spending many hours researching information at courthouses, city halls and churches. Conley added 48,805 memorials, 23,342 photos and 500 pages of genealogy to the “Find A Grave" website and managed 48,351 of those memorials for six area counties.

She compiled and was editor of two books “Country School Memories” in 1997 and “The Magic of Country School” in 2003. Conley, along with Janice Rupert, acted as Raggedy Ann and Andy presenting children’s programs in schools and libraries to promote reading. She also narrated while Rupert gave handbell performances at churches and schools.

She received the Ida Grove Education Association “Friend of Education” award in 1992 for her many school programs on drug awareness, manners, safety, poison prevention, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, flag etiquette, Americanism, Veteran’s Day, and Poppy Day. She served on the Ida County Sesquicentennial Commission in 1996 as secretary/historian, on the Ida County Compensation Board, and served as a local blood drive coordinator for many years.

Survivors include her children: Myra and her husband Roger Dutton of Idyllwild, CA; Michael and his wife Carolyn Wolterman of Missouri Valley, IA; Brian and his wife Beth Wolterman of Ida Grove; and Brad and his wife Lisa Wolterman of Polk City, IA.

Her grandchildren include: Tara Sechrest and her fiancé Jim Kogelman of Idyllwild, CA, Marissa Dutton and her fiancé Anthony Malat of Brooklyn, NY, Sterling Dutton and his wife Erin of Idyllwild, CA, Arielle Wolterman Parker and her husband Owen Parker of Des Moines, Seth Mauch and his wife Anna of Ridgefield, WA, and Kate Wolterman of Polk City, IA. Conley was able to attend granddaughter Arielle’s wedding in November and celebrate with many family members. Her great-grandchildren include: Miles Sechrest, Isabella Nichtern, and Conor and Torin Mauch.

Other survivors include her sisters-in-law Roseann Van Boxtel of San Diego, CA, Mary Wolterman of Storm Lake, and many other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband Vernon in 1988; sister Norma Jean Barton; grandson Leif Mauch; and her parents. She was also preceded in death by several brother and sisters-in-law: Edwin and Annabel Wolterman, Carl and Lucy Wolterman, Ione and Don Fulcher, Merita and Don Reiff, Marvin and Roberta Wolterman, Delmar and Ardyce Wolterman, George Jr. and Jeanne Wolterman, Robert and Lois Wolterman, Henry (Mary) Wolterman, Mary Lou and Jerry Nesseim, and Richard Dale Wolterman.

We are very grateful to the Golden Horizons family for the wonderful care Conley received during her last years. Conley touched the lives of so many and will be dearly missed by friends and family.