Mary Karr Mether of Maquoketa will celebrate her 80th birthday Sunday, July 22, 2012.

Friends and relatives are invited to a dessert reception from 2 – 4 PM in the Fellowship Hall at

First Methodist Church in Maquoketa. Music will be provided by the Dale Thomas Band. Please, no gifts, but greetings may be sent to 503 Milton Drive in Maquoketa, lA 52060.

Mary was born July 24, 1932, in La Porte City where she graduated from high school and was employed after graduation by the local newspaper, The Progress Review.

She was married October 19, 1951, and raised four children: Byron (Sue) of East Peoria, Illinois;

Lynda (Dean) Martin of Maquoketa; Gordon (Tari) of Naples, Florida; and Barton (Maureen) of Plover, Wisconsin. She has one granddaughter, four grandsons and five great grandsons.

She received the Associate Arts from Mount St. Clare College in 1975, the Bachelor of Arts from

Marycrest College in 1977, and the Master of Arts from University of Northern Iowa in 1985. She retired from teaching in 2000 after teaching in the Belle Plaine, and Eastland Community Schools in Lanark, Illinois. In the past, she has done substitute teaching in the North Scott School District at Eldridge, Iowa.

Mary enjoys volunteering at the Hurstville Interpretive Center, Jackson County Public Health Center and Maquoketa Caves Tourist Center, spending time with her family, doing crossword puzzles and bowling. She is a member of the Eastern Iowa Polka Club, The Methodist Church, The New Hope Support Group of DeWitt, The Moline Preservation Society and Moline Viking Club.