Ina Flower
Published February 8, 2006, page B-6
January 23, 1909 - February 6, 2006
CEDAR RAPIDS—Ina Harriet Flower, 97, of Cedar Rapids, formerly of Iowa Falls, died peacefully Monday morning, Feb. 6, 2006, at Northbrook Manor Care Center in Cedar Rapids. Memorial services will be held at a later date at Bethany Lutheran Church in Iowa Falls. Inurnment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Marshalltown. Cedar Memorial Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
Ina was born Jan. 23, 1909, in Thor to Henry O. and Marie Ersland Paulson. The family moved to Forest City in 1914. Ina was an enthusiastic Camp Fire girl, was confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran Church, and was valedictorian of the Forest City High School class of 1926. She attended Waldorf College in Forest City, where she was an active member in the choir, and graduated in 1928. Ina then received her B.S. in math and science at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., in 1930, and did graduate work at the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa. Ina began her 36-year teaching career in Swea City in 1930. In 1932, she moved to Iowa Falls to teach and met fellow teacher and coach Howard Flower. Since the Iowa Falls School Board didn’t allow married women on the faculty, in December 1933, Ina and Howard traveled out of state, to St. Joseph, Mo., to get married secretly. Within a few months, the marriage was discovered and she was fired. Because of Ina’s dedication to teaching, she agreed to be hired back at half pay. She then took some time off to raise her family and went back to teaching after World War II, until her retirement in 1973. Ina was presented an award from the Iowa Falls Rotary Club for her outstanding leadership and dedication as an educator in 1970. Ina and Howard loved to travel and were able to visit almost every state. They also took a six-week teachers’ tour in Europe and enjoyed an extended trip around the world. After they retired, Howard and Ina also enjoyed spending the winters in South Padre Island, Texas. After Howard’s death in 1982, Ina continued to visit their friends in South Padre, accompanied by various family members. Ina stayed active in Iowa Falls, belonging to the DV Chapter of PEO and faithfully attending Bethany Lutheran Church. She also enjoyed reading, knitting, doing crossword puzzles and playing bridge. In 1994 Ina moved to Cedar Rapids to live with her daughter before moving to Northbrook Manor. Ina lived a long and exceptional life. She will be deeply missed by her family, friends and former students.
Survivors include, daughter and son-in-law Jean and Dick Deasy of Cedar Rapids; son Jon Flower of Coralville; grandson David Deasy and wife Dawn of Bettendorf; granddaughter Katherine Deasy of Iowa City; grandson Steve Flower of Bettendorf; granddaughter Jane Blackman and husband Luke of Davenport; grandson Eric Flower of Iowa City; great-grandchildren Nicholas Deasy, Elizabeth Deasy, Sylvie Blackman and Hila Blackman; special niece Margaret Westby Wold of Evanston, Ill.; special friend Jan Melvin of Coralville; and several nieces and nephews.
Ina was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her sister, Blanche Paulson Westby of Forest City.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Howard and Ina Flower Scholarship Fund (Iowa Falls High School) at Green Belt Bank & Trust, P.O. Box 790, Iowa Falls, IA 50126, or to Bethany Lutheran Church, Iowa Falls.