Alice Rose (Dirks) Redmond
Alice Rose (Dirks) Redmond left her family on April 17, 2021. Alice was born on Aug. 29, 1932, the youngest and only daughter of John and Irene Dirks. She grew up on a farm north of Anamosa, Iowa and attended Freemont School before attending and graduating from Anamosa High School in 1950.
Her parents moved into Anamosa during her senior year of high school. Alice loved attending dances with her brother. At one of those dances, she chose Edward Redmond for a lady’s choice dance. It was clear from the start that they had met their partner for life.
Alice joined the Catholic church and on Sept. 25, 1952, the two were married at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Anamosa. Alice and Ed drove across the United States to visit her brother in California on their honeymoon and when they returned Ed was drafted to serve in the Army during the Korean War.
Alice stayed with her parents while Ed was in the Army. She and a couple of other wives would drive to Missouri for the weekend to visit their husbands where they were stationed. On one occasion she drove all night to get home and upon arriving her car tire went flat. She would often comment on how she didn’t know how they never ran out of gas. Alice would send cookies and other sweets which made Ed quite popular with the other soldiers.
Alice worked as a nurse’s aide at the Anamosa hospital until shortly after Alice and Ed bought the Coast to Coast store in 1970.
Alice and Ed raised four children in the house that Ed built next door to Alice’s parents’ home. Alice was always taking care of people. She took care of so many when she worked at the hospital and beyond. She cared for her parents and her three brothers and has been taking care of Ed for 68 1/2 years.
She would jump in to help whenever something needed to be done, especially if it was for the church. Alice’s faith was very important to her. She and Ed were in charge of the desserts for the Fall Festival and funeral lunches for many years and volunteered for various other things for many more years. Even when getting out got hard, Alice always contributed to the pink tub and made sure to take several tags for children’s Christmas gifts.
Alice and Ed always enjoyed dancing, playing cards or just talking about all the people they knew, places they visited or things they have done. Alice crocheted regularly. Her favorite was to find a pattern of a stuffed animal she could make for her grandchildren.
Alice loved having family around, whether it be a birthday, wedding, holiday or just getting together. She always made sure she had snacks for any get-together, or in case someone just stopped by.
Alice’s most favorite times were when her children and grandchildren were able to get together. She loved playing Yahtzee Free For All and Scrabble.
It was very difficult this past year with Covid because the family was not able to gather as they normally would. She and Ed played a lot of Yahtzee this past year and any chance she got, a game of Scrabble with one of her daughters or her daughter-in-law. Family members all have so many wonderful memories of Alice/Mom/Grandma Alice/Grandma GG that they will cherish for the rest of their lives.
Mass of Christian Burial was held April 22, 2021 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Anamosa with interment in the Riverside Cemetery. Fr. Nick March officiated at the services. Goettsch Funeral Home in Anamosa was in charge of arrangements.
Those left to cherish her memories include her husband Ed; her four children: Rosann (Brian) Hurt, Thomas (Sonia) Redmond, Maureen (Don) Walterhouse, and Denise (Gregg) Smith of Imperial, Nebraska; 11 grandchildren—Jennifer, Kelly, Mikka, Tasha, Alannah, Jacob, Chevy, Kacia, Indy, Nike and Navy; and six great-grandchildren—Noah, Bastian, Lyla, Owen, Aliyah and Reese.
She also has three step-grandchildren and five step-great-grandchildren. She will also be remembered by her sister-in-law Barbara Martin, brother-in-law Robert Redmond and numerous nieces and nephews.
Alice was preceded in death by her parents, three brothers- —Laurence, Earl “Bud” and Virgil “Lou,” one granddaughter, Jaci Mills, and one great-granddaughter, Kia Smith.