Mary Lou Culbertson

When they say good things come in small packages that would describe Mary Lou Culbertson.  Who left us suddenly on Wednesday morning, April 5, 2023.  A funeral mass will be held Friday, April 14^th at 10:00 a.m. at Nativity Catholic Church.  Visitation will be Thursday from 4-7:00 p.m. with a rosary at 4:00 p.m. at Meyer Brothers Morningside Chapel.  Burial will be following church services at Memorial Park Cemetery.  Online condolences may be made to www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Mary Lou was born on January 2, 1933 in Des Moines, IA to Arnold and Carrie (Brown) Liddell.  She was united in marriage to Neal Balius on August 14, 1954 and to this union they were blessed with 7 children.  He preceded her in death.  She later married Mike Culbertson who had two children of his own to add to the family, Mark and Dawn Culbertson, whom joined Bob in the family home while they were in school.  They had 25 years of marriage.  Mary Lou loved being a mother and taking care of her family.  On top of being a mother, she worked full time at Northwestern Bell for 32 years.  She loved to dance to her brothers band, vacationing with family at the Lake of the Ozarks (even though she wasn’t a swimmer) and was a member of Nativity Church and the Telephone Pioneers of America.  She was or had to be a lover of animals as her children brought home so many to add to the chaos of a large family.  Her last beloved dog was her best companion, Boots.

Those left to honor her memory include her children: Ann (Robert) Shepherd, Lacona, IA, Jacqueline (Thomas Jr.) Udell, Sioux City, IA, Janice (Todd) Waggoner, Omaha, NE, Mary Beth Jones, Sioux Falls, SD, Neal (Nicole Rasmussen) Balius Jr., Petaluma, CA, Michael (Veronica) Balius, Jackson, TN, Robert (Stacey) Balius, Sioux City, IA, Mark (Angela) Culbertson, Des Moines, IA, and Dawn (Ron White) Culbertson, San Diego, CA.  Grandma Lou had 14 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren.

She is preceded in death by her parents, both husbands, and siblings: Arnold, Bill, Fran, Tom, Joe and Sarah Ann Liddell.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to your favorite charity in her name, Catholic Charities, or to your animal shelter. 

The family would like to extend much thanks to the staff at Sunrise and St. Croix Hospice.