Jean Pingel

MONTICELLO, IOWA Jean A. Pingel, 79, of Monticello died Sunday, June 14, 2015, at St. Luke Hospital in Cedar Rapids after a brief illness. Visitation will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon, Wednesday, June 17, 2015, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Monticello, where a Mass of Christian Burial will commence at Noon. Rev. Paul Baldwin will officiate and inurnment will be at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines at a later date. Jean was born September 6, 1935, in Fort Dodge, Iowa the daughter of Leon and Esther (Kleinpeter) Smith. She graduated from Fort Dodge High School with the class of 1953. On July 27, 1953, she married Duane Pingel in Fort Dodge. Together they resided in various communities including Iowa Falls and Des Moines, finally settling in Monticello in 1978. Duane preceded her in death in 1994, after which Jean developed a close circle of friends. She retired from Orbis as a Human Resources Coordinator in 2000. Jean enjoyed playing Bridge and other games, watching football and cheering for the Hawkeyes and Packers. She was an avid golfer when able. Recently she enjoyed a memorable winter in California as a guest of her sister, Joan, and her family. She especially cherished any time she was able to spend time with her family and friends. Jean is survived 2 sons: Jeffrey (Tammy) Pingel of Grapevine, TX and Steven (Starla) Pingel of Iowa Falls; a daughter-in-law, Debra Pingel, and a son-in-law, Gary Coyle, both of Monticello; 5 grandchildren: Michael Pingel, Ben and Amanda Lawrence, Yessenia Wallace and Miguel Flores; 2 great grandchildren: Jonah and Isaac Pingel; a sister, Joan Patton of La Jolla, CA; a sister-in-law, Liz Smith. She is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, 3 children: Michael and David Pingel, and Karel Coyle; 2 brothers: Wayne and Paul Smith; a brother-in-law, Richard Patton. Memorials are preferred to Sacred Heart Catholic Church.