Mary Ruth Coonfield

Mary Ruth Coonfield (nee McKee), 90, of Lone Tree, IA, passed away on January 2, 2024, at Lone Tree Health Care Center – Pioneer Park Assisted Living Center, Lone Tree, IA.  A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 6, 2024, at Vandemore Funeral Homes & Crematory – Geneseo Chapel.  Reverend Dr. Chris Ritter will officiate.  Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery, Geneseo.  A visitation will be held from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., prior to the funeral service.  Memorials may be directed to First Methodist Church 302 N. State Street, Geneseo, IL, 61254. 

Mary Ruth Coonfield (nee McKee) was born August 25, 1933, in Edwardsville, Kansas, to Ruth (Edington) and James McKee. She grew up with her younger sister Barbara and her mom, as her dad passed away when she was a child. She attended Edwardsville High School and graduated in 1951. She married Darrell Coonfield in 1952, and together they had three children: Donald, Dennis, and Rebecca. Mary enjoyed spending time with friends and family in the First Methodist Church, the Geneseo Moose Lodge, and the Geneseo Country Club. She and Darrell liked socializing with friends, playing cards and board games, golfing, and taking fishing trips to the boundary waters in Canada. After her husband passed, she and friends took many trips around the country, and even traveled internationally. She also spent time working for Eagle Grocery and GWK Enterprises. She was a skilled home cook who was always eager for a new recipe to try. Over the years she baked hundreds of dozens of cookies for the youth ministry at First Methodist and always helped with their funeral luncheons. Most notably, Mary was an exceptional seamstress, crafting beautiful creations for friends, family, and her community for more than 60 years. In 2019, she moved to an apartment at Liberty Village and spent time playing bingo with friends and going on day trips with her fellow residents. She stayed at Hillcrest Home briefly in 2023 and was well taken care of by the staff and physical therapists there. Mary lived out the last months of her life in Lone Tree, Iowa, to be closer to family, and was very appreciative of the staff at the Lone Tree Care Center. Mary will be remembered by those who knew her as someone who had a sharp wit, valued etiquette and thank-you notes, kept an organized and comfortable home, and cared for her family deeply. She was a loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and even a great-great-grandmother, who will always be remembered by her family with love, tears, and joy.

Those left to cherish her memory include her children, Donald E. Coonfield and Dennis J. Coonfield; grandchildren, Abbey Luzader, Katy Meyer, Ben Coonfield, and Michael Coonfield; great-grandchildren, Dharma Luzader, Lex Luzader, Aaron Meyer, Oliver Coonfield, Vincent Coonfield, and Shepard Coonfield; great-great-grandchild, Leon; and sister, Barbara Wright.

Mary Ruth was preceded in death by her parents, Ruth and James McKee; husband, Darrell Coonfield; daughter, Rebecca Ann; and grandson, Dennis J. Coonfield, Jr.