Marian McIntosh

Marian Jean McIntosh, of Oelwein, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

Memorial Mass of Christian Burial: 10:30 A.M. September 19, 2026, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Oelwein, with lunch to follow.
Final Resting Place: Woodlawn Cemetery, Oelwein, Iowa.
Memorials may be directed to Dollars for Scholars – Oelwein Community Schools. Cards may be sent to 1632 East Lexington Blvd., Eau Claire, WI 54701 to be passed to the family.
Jamison-Schmitz Funeral Home, Oelwein, is assisting the family.
Online obituary at www.jamsionschmitzfuneralhome.com

Mary was born on April 5, 1927, on a farm in Fairbank, Iowa. She lived a long and rich 99 plus years of life. Mary grew up on a rural farm just north of Fairbank, Iowa and attended school at Oran High, graduating with seven classmates in 1944. She then attended Cook Business School for secretarial training. At sixteen years old she took a job as a typist in Washington, D.C., working in the Pentagon and War Departments. She made lifelong friends and enjoyed her time in service returning to Iowa after her war effort.

On November 26, 1946, Mary married Robert (Bob) William McIntosh in Fairbank, Iowa. They built a life together in Oelwein being a staple in their community, raising a family of four, running a family-owned business, Bob’s Shoes, in downtown Oelwein for forty-three years, selling shoes to most of northeast Iowa. They also owned BobMar Arabians, breeding and raising purebred Arabian and Standardbred horses with National Championship bloodlines. Mary helped train and show championship show horses throughout the United States and Canada.

Mary was very active in her community as a longtime member of the Sacred Heart Church, Mercy Hospital Auxiliary, and the Oelwein Chamber of Commerce. She was a member of the local golf courses in Oelwein where she played golf well into her nineties in both leagues and with her family. She was a licensed small plane pilot and both her and her husband enjoyed flying to visit their children and for business trips.

Having four children who were active in school and sports and moved throughout the country, she traveled to Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and the state of Washington to visit on many occasions. She also enjoyed playing bridge with many bridge partners, spending time hosting family and friends on their horse farm and her time enjoying the family’s cabin in Guttenberg, Iowa. She was an exceptional cook, making amazing meals and hosting gatherings for many friends, family and “horse people’ who they knew.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Bob McIntosh, father, John Ryan, mother, Genevieve Ryan, stepfather, A.C. Smith, brother, Johnny Ryan, sister-in-law, MaryAnn Ryan, sister, Marg Cleworth, her daughter, Cheryl Beeksma, son-in-law, Ed Beeksma and granddaughter, Tracey McIntosh.

She is survived by her children, Susan Theobald (John), Craig McIntosh (Deborah), and Debra Dugger (Michael); grandchildren, Michelle, Nicole, Krissi, Lara, Genny, Ryan, Serenity, Casey, Jamey, Chloe and Kaley; twenty-five great grandchildren and the Ryan cousins of Fairbank.