Mary Ann Nagel, 89, of Geneva died Monday, Aug. 13, 2012, at Delnor Hospital in Geneva surrounded by her children.

The daughter of Amy (Carlson) and Homer Shewalter, she was born Feb. 6, 1923, at the original Community Hospital on Third Street in Geneva—in the building that later became Robin’s Bookshop and where SRNTY and other shops are today.

Mary Ann was the best mom ever. She was both a nurturer and a good Swedish stoic, always more concerned about her family than she was about herself. She was a lifelong Cubs fan, God bless her, and spent many an afternoon at Wrigley Field or with the TV tuned in to WGN. 

She was a graduate of Geneva High School—I think it was the Class of 1940, which graduated from the Coultrap building. She worked part-time at many places during the course of her lifetime, including The Little Traveler, as her mother and aunt had for many years. She was a partner with her husband, Ralph, in Valley Typewriter Company, which Ralph operated out of the basement of their home on Woodlawn Street.

She was a wonderful cook and baker, and her Swedish rye bread, rice pudding, Swedish spaghetti, Christmas cookies, apple pie and other dishes will be greatly missed. She loved playing bridge, watching Jeopardy, going out to dinner, needlework, gardening and spoiling her kids and grandkids. She was an avid reader, with a lifelong love of books and a fondness for mysteries. She enjoyed traveling with Ralph, her husband of 71 years, owning a place on Brandy Lake near Minocqua, WI, for many years and vacationing frequently in Sarasota, FL.

She was a longtime member of the United Methodist Church of Geneva and participated in many civic activities, including Brownies and Girl Scouts, the Geneva Friendly Gardeners and serving many years as an election judge.

She is survived by her husband, Ralph, 90, of The Holmstad and Geneva; her daughter, Tinya (Bob) Craig of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ; sons, Jon of South Elgin and Rick (Paula) Nagel of Geneva; sisters-in-law, Mary and Diana Shewalter, grandchildren, Andrew Craig of Wyckoff, NJ, Jamie (Rob) Fitzpatrick of Macon, GA, Kathryn and Tricia Nagel of Geneva; five great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her brothers, Jack and William Shewalter.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 18, at the United Methodist Church of Geneva, 211 Hamilton St., with The Rev. Robert Hamilton III officiating. A memorial luncheon will immediately follow the service at the church’s fellowship hall. Private burial will take place at Oak Hill Cemetery. 

Visitation will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 17, at Malone Funeral Home, 24 E. State St. (Route 38), Geneva.

Donations to the Holmstad Benevolent Care Fund, 700 W. Fabyan Parkway, Batavia, IL 60510, the Geneva Library Foundation, 127 James St., Geneva, IL 60134, or the Geneva History Center, 113 S. Third St., Geneva, IL 60134-2721 would be appreciated.

For more information, contact Malone Funeral Home at 630-232-8233.