Mary Lou Overton

Mary Lou Overton, 90, passed away at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa the morning of July 2, 2024 from complications of a stroke. Visitation will be held from 4pm – 7pm on Monday, July 8th at McLaren’s Resthaven Chapel in West Des Moines. Funeral services will be held at 10 am on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church West Des Moines with burial to follow at McLaren’s Resthaven Cemetery.

Mary Lou was born on December 13, 1933 to Dan and Regina Froehlich at the family home located on a farm in St. Benedict, Iowa. Mary Lou liked to reminisce about her times milking the cows, feeding the chickens, playing with her sisters, and playing the organ at church. At the age of 17 she graduated from Lu Verne High School and then moved to Algona, IA where she and 3 friends shared an apartment each working, where Mary Lou talked fondly about her job at S&L department store. They all enjoyed going to dances where at one of them Mary Lou met Sanford Mitchell from Lone Rock, IA and then married him on November 19, 1955.

Following their wedding, Sanford and Mary Lou went to Oklahoma where Sanford attended a college technical school. There they had their first child with four more to follow when they relocated to Des Moines, IA for a total of 5 children in 7 years. Mary Lou was a wonderful mother, always so kind, supportive, nurturing, and spoiling her children and neighborhood kids with her very tasty homemade treats. She’s always been quite the cook and baker.

On April 9, 1987 Sanford Mitchell died of a heart attack. Seven years later on April 30, 1994 Mary Lou married Doctor Roy Overton II. Together they enjoyed a lot of traveling to places in the continental US, Hawaii and Alaska, and abroad to European countries and the Holy Lands in Jerusalem. They were very active in Church, the Izaak Walton League and in Ding Darling causes. Mary Lou also enjoyed working at the Polls with her very good friend Beverly Carper.

Mary Lou was devotedly religious, rarely missing church even when traveling. During bad weather on Sundays when her children were younger and unable to attend church, Mary Lou played the organ at home with her children singing church hymns. This was also the ritual on Christmas Eve after church. She also enjoyed going to church with her “favorite” son when he was home visiting.

Mary Lou is survived by four of her children, Denise (Craig) Haugh of Des Moines, Charles (Lin) Mitchell of Georgetown, Kentucky, Debra (Jerry) Panella of Mequon, Wisconsin, and Carla (Paul) Stuber of West Des Moines; Sisters, Bobbie Kutschara and Ruth O’Hara; 8 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Having married Roy she also became step mother to several, help raising the 2 youngest, Matt Overton and Meredith Otis.

Mary Lou was proceeded in death by her parents, Dan and Regina Froehlich; brothers, Dan Froehlich and Francis (Shrimp) Froehlich; and her daughter, Sharon Mitchell.

Mary Lou was loved by many and her children would like to thank all the friends and relatives that have always been so supportive and kind to their mother in life, in illness, and now in death.