Mary Lucken, 84, of Akron, Iowa, passed away Saturday, July 13, 2024, at the Akron Care Center in Akron, Iowa.

Memorial Service will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Akron. A Celebration of Life with lunch and refreshments will immediately follow at the Akron Fire Station.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Akron Children's Center.

Mary Katherine Thorson was born July 3, 1940, in Des Moines, Iowa, the only child of Edward William and Dorothy (Elmer) Thorson. During World War II the family lived in Pennsylvania and Arlington, Virginia where Edward was a Commander in the US Navy Civil Engineering Corps. After the war in 1945, the family moved to Denver, Colorado where Mary attended Bromwell Elementary, Gove Junior High, and East High School. Following graduation from East in 1958, she attended Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, where she met her best friend and future husband, John Ernest Lucken of Akron, Iowa.

Mary went on to graduate school at Middlebury College in Vermont and Madrid, Spain. Having earned her Masters Degree in Spanish in 1964, she and John were married on August 1, 1964 at Augustana Lutheran Church in Denver, Colorado. They lived in Casper, Wyoming for four years where John worked as a geologist for the Mobil Oil Company and Mary taught at the Natrona County High School. Their daughter, Helen Katherine, was born in Casper in 1967. In 1968 the family moved to Denver, Colorado and in 1970, their son, Rustin Thorson, was born.

Mary was grateful to be a 'stay-at-home mom' until 1985 when she began teaching at Denver Christian High School. She also loved being an active volunteer at the family's church, Bethany Lutheran Church in Englewood, Colorado as well as a variety of community projects. She grew up in a small family of three where free time often included jigsaw puzzles, board games, card games, and reading. These continued to be Mary's favorite hobbies all of her life. As a child, Mary enjoyed outdoor activities which included skiing, camping, hiking, and vegetable gardening. This was a lifestyle that she and John later shared with their children.

When John and Mary retired in 2000, they moved to John's hometown of Akron, Iowa. Mary loved her new experience of life in a small town and she appreciated the opportunity to become involved in the community. She also became very interested in the prairie history and culture, a new learning experience that guided her observations of nature and her reading choices including regional poetry. Mary helped put on an annual 'Prairie Poetry" event where local poets could showcase their work. Another organization that Mary held dear was the Akron Children's Center. To help with the sustainability and long-term success of the Children's Center, she helped start and continued to volunteer for the Helping Hands Thrift Store which helps fund the Children's Center. She served as secretary of the Plymouth County Foundation for three years, belonged to the Friendship and Service Club, was even awarded the Lions Club Award in 2008, and was also a member of P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) for an amazing 61 years. Mary was always looking for other opportunities to serve the Akron community, and fill any need where she felt she could make a difference. In turn, Akron welcomed her into the community, and took such good care of both her and John as their health declined in their later years.

Mary loved jigsaw and crossword puzzles, playing bridge with her friends, book clubs, feeding the cardinals, swallows, and countless other types of birds, sudoku, listening to Willie Nelson, speaking French to her cat Morton, and watching Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune every day with John. She also loved long conversations catching up with friends, her kids, and her four granddaughters, and watching the sunsets from her back deck.

Mary Thorson Lucken was preceded in death by her mother, Dorothy Elmer Thorson; her father, Edward William Thorson; and her devoted husband of 59 years, John Ernest Lucken.

She is survived by her daughter, Helen Lucken Raymond (Jim Raymond); her son, Rustin Thorson Lucken (Susan Lucken); and granddaughters: Paige and Beth Raymond and Makenzie and Ruby Lucken.