Mary Elizabeth (Walker) Stanislav

Mary Elizabeth (Walker) Stanislav, 94, of Blencoe, Iowa passed away on Monday, March 2, 2026 at her farm home, surrounded by her children.

A rosary will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, March 7, 2026 at the Blencoe Community Center, followed by a visitation and time of viewing Mary until 5:00 P.M. An Irish celebration of her life and supper will follow the visitation at the Blencoe Community Center. Family requests those that are attending to please wear green. A funeral mass will be held at 10:00 A.M. Monday, March 9, 2026 at St. Bernard Catholic Church, Blencoe, Iowa with Reverend Father Shinoj Jose, officiating. A live stream of the service will be posted on the Goslar Funeral Home website with Mary’s obituary. Burial will follow the service in the Graceland Cemetery, Blencoe, Iowa. Arrangements are under the direction of Goslar Funeral Home and Monuments, Onawa, Iowa.

Mary was born January 18, 1932 in Pickle City Iowa, to Isaac and Mildred “Ruth” (Hime) Walker. She attended the country school in Pickle City and later Blencoe High School. Following graduation, she attended business courses in Omaha, coming home to begin working at Blencoe State Bank. In her 30s she graduated from St. Vincent school of nursing (where she was named Homecoming Queen) with a perfect 4.0 grade point.

Once she received her RN, she worked at private clinics, the county, Onawa schools, and ultimately Burgess Hospital - all in all she spent decades caring for the community.

While in high school, Mary met Milo Stanislav. He was fascinated by the spirited redhead, who at just 5’2” played basketball. Mary loved the young man with a strong work ethic and devotion to family, but she also appreciated Milo’s skills on the dance floor. From early ballroom dances while dating, to years of square dancing and lively polkas - dancing was a shared passion.

Between card parties, avoiding floods, and the hard work of farming in the mid-century, Mary and Milo raised four children, daughter Dianne, and sons Bernard, Richard, and James. They lost a son, Raymond, shortly after his birth.

Known for her skills at bowling, pie making, gardening, cooking, and singing, Mary was easily found in a crowd through her high-pitched giggle and fiery red hair. In later years, as her height dropped to 4’8” - comparisons to a leprechaun were appropriate for this daughter of a native Irishman.

Her trips to Ireland held a special place in her heart, as did ancestry research. However, her favorite kind of travel was to just start out and randomly call out “right” or “left” and see where they ended up.

Tough as nails and not one to complain, family legends include Mary hitting a cow with her car, breaking an ankle while jogging and crawling a quarter mile on gravel before driving herself to the hospital. On crutches, she still managed to be in the front row when the pope visited Des Moines in 1980. Mary also broke her pelvis, while leaf blowing in her late 80s and drove herself to the hospital, and later suffered a heart attack removing bird nests from the garage also in her late 80s - once again driving herself to the hospital. A risk taker, at home she hopped on a motorcycle, rode around the farmyard, and knocked the outhouse off its base. The outhouse has been preserved as a favorite family memory.

Active in St. Bernard Catholic Church in Blencoe and St. John’s in Onawa, her catholic faith was very important to Mary and a comfort to her in the end.

She is survived by her children, Dianne (Hollis) Hodges, Bern (Penny) Stanislav, Richard Stanislav, and James (Lorri) Stanislav; by her twelve grandchildren and spouses, Byron (Ora), Kari Jo (Troy), Vanessa, Sonji, Bailey (Freddie), Steven (Britte), Julia (Alex), Kristen (Manny), Jay (Erica), Erik (Sarah), Tara (Darren), and Brian (Brandie), and numerous great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Joann Lampe; brother-in-law, Dennis (Edna Mae) Stanislav; her lifelong friend, Dorothy Jepson; numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins both here and in Ireland.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Milo Stanislav; parents, Isaac and Mildred “Ruth” (Hime) Walker; son, Raymond Stanislav; and brothers, Glenn and wife, Vera Walker, Gordon and wife, Mable Walker, and brother, George Walker (who passed at age 10). She is also preceded in death by brother-in-law, Andy Stanislav and his wife, Lola; brother-in-law, Robert Lampe; and sister-in-law, Irene Montag and her husband, Vincent; daughter-in-law, Laura Jackson Stanislav; and nephews, Joseph Walker, Ronnie Walker, and Mark Walker.

The family would like to thank Burgess Home Health and Hospice for the tremendous care, as well as the staff at Stonebridge Assisted Living, and private caregivers Sandy Beechy and Rosie Nichols. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial gift to Burgess Home Health and Hospice or St. Bernard Catholic Church.

Condolences may be left online for the family at www.goslarfuneralhome.com

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Mary Elizabeth (Walker) Stanislav, please visit our floral store.