Jeanne ‘Jeanie’ Byrnes, 73

May 27, 1946 —

Feb. 10, 2020

 

CRESCO - Jeanne “Jeanie” Ann Byrnes, age 73 of Cresco, Iowa, passed away at her home on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020.

A Memorial Mass will be held at Notre Dame Catholic Church in Cresco on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020, at 11 a.m. with Father Jacob Rouse officiating. Visitation will be at Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home in Cresco from 4-7 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, and will continue for one hour prior to the service Saturday at the church. Burial will be held in spring at Calvary Cemetery. 

Jeanie was born to Robert and Lucille (Gerber) Byrnes on May 27, 1946, in Tacoma, Wash. She grew up on the family farm in Cresco and graduated from Notre Dame High School with the class of 1964. She was united in marriage to Dale Kaderabek on Sept. 4, 1965, at Assumption Catholic Church in Cresco; they were later divorced. To this union she had two children, Kim (Kaderabek) McConnell and Kris “Kato” Kaderabek. They made their home in Austin, Minn. 

Throughout her life, Jeanie enjoyed working in the sales, media and marketing fields. She was involved with the Miss Austin, Miss Minnesota and Miss America pageants. She was also involved in many other organizations such as the Austin Jaycees, Austin Chamber of Commerce and Sheriff’s Boys Ranch. She worked at Oak Park Mall and Mower County Shopper in Austin and for the American Truck Pullers Association in Harmony, Minn. She moved to Arizona to work for Torgerson Motorsports and later moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where she worked at a large media organization. 

She moved back to Cresco, where she worked at the Cresco Shopper, the Times Plain Dealer and KDEC radio station of Decorah, Iowa. Jeanie had a passion for making crafts, floral arrangements and wedding decorations. She was a social person who made many friends over the years. She had the gift of gab and enjoyed visiting with friends and family. She loved to spend time with her grandsons. She enjoyed spoiling them and doing fun things with them, like playing board and yard games and making fun traditions, including her annual Easter egg hunt.

Jeanie is survived by her daughter, Kim (Bruce) McConnell; her three grandsons, Andy, Austin and Ashton; her siblings, Rick (Wanda) Byrnes, Julie (Barry Nelson) Byrnes, Tim (Theresa Chipera) Byrnes and Pat (Pam) Byrnes, all of Cresco; many nieces and nephews; her aunt, Betty Moen, of Cresco; aunt and uncle, Fred and Donna Ault of Seattle, Wash.; and many cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents; son Kris “Kato” Kaderabek; and her brothers in infancy, baby Byrnes and James Allen Byrnes.