Mary Ann Goebel

Mary Ann Mersch Goebel died at home with her family December 29, 2024. She was born November 23, 1939, to John P. Mersch and Grace D. Collins Mersch in Algona, Iowa. She spent her childhood playing and working on the family farm with her beloved sister, Joan Foss Mersch. 

After attending St. Peter and Paul Catholic School in West Bend, she graduated from Rodman High School in Rodman, IA, where she excelled in basketball and playing the clarinet. In 1961 she earned a B.S. in Nursing from the College of St. Teresa in Winona, MN. One year later, she met her best friend and future husband, James Goebel, M.D., while working as an operating room nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Creighton University in Omaha, NE. She later worked as an operating room nurse at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis. Mary and Jim married in 1964 and were blessed with four children. 

Arriving in Sioux City, IA in 1971, Mary settled into an active life as a stay-at-home mom and community volunteer. Always fond of sports, she coached girls' basketball and volleyball at St. Michael’s School and later, women’s tennis at Heelan High School. As an avid enthusiast of the sport, Mary spent a great deal of time perfecting her tennis game and enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship of fellow students of the game at the Sioux City Racquet Club. Mary was famous for planning elaborate Christmas and Fourth of July celebrations for her family. She would spend weeks preparing meals and scheduling activities for these gatherings and the memories created will be forever cherished by her husband, her children and their spouses, and her grandchildren. 

She began a second career as a tax accountant after earning a B.A. in Accounting from Briar Cliff College. She employed her skill and knowledge assisting her clients with their taxes and as President and Treasurer of Mersch Farms, Inc. as she assumed the responsibility of managing the family farm with her sister, Joan. 

Mary is survived by her loving husband, Jim; her daughters, Lisa Goebel (Ted Peters) and Julie Goebel (Ken Cooper) of Bellingham, WA and Michelle Markham (Chad) of Effingham, IL; her son James Goebel, Jr. of Longmont, CO; her sister Joan Mersch of Menlo Park, CA and grandchildren Spencer Peters of Ithaca, NY; sisters Mary and Isabella Peters and brothers Joseph and Noah Cooper of Seattle, WA; Quincy Markham of Wausau, WI; Libby Markham of Minneapolis, MN and Rosie Markham of St. Louis, MO; Ali Goebel of Los Angeles, CA and Max Goebel of Longmont, CO. Mary was preceded in death by her parents and many beloved friends and family members. 

The family would like to express their gratitude to the caregivers of Visiting Angels, who cared for Mary with love, respect and dignity for many years during her battle with a progressive and debilitating illness; and the staff of St. Luke’s Hospital, who supported her with amazing and healing care during a recent hospitalization. We are also grateful to the individuals at Siouxland Hospice and St. Croix Hospice, who provided exceptional care during the last months of Mary’s life. 

A Mass of Christian Burial will be 9:00 a.m. Saturday, January 4, 2025, at Holy Cross Parish – St. Michael’s Church in Sioux City. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be on Friday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel in Sioux City. The family will greet friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and there will be a Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m.