Lila Marie West

Lila Marie West, 82, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at the Kavanaugh Hospice House in Des Moines, Iowa. Funeral Service will be held on Monday, March 31, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at Murdoch Funeral Home in Marion. Interment will follow at Urbana Memorial Cemetery in Urbana, Iowa.

Lila was born on April 21, 1942, in Urbana, Iowa, to Glenn and Gladys (Owens) Ferguson. She was the sixth of twelve children. After graduating from Urbana High School, she worked in the housekeeping department at Meth-Wick Community, where she provided laundry services from 1979 until her retirement in 2008.

She had a passion for gardening and took great care in maintaining her flowers. A skilled baker and cook, she was known for her banana cake at birthdays, her signature potato salad at family gatherings, and her unbeatable homemade chicken and noodles, as well as Spanish rice. She was a devoted Elvis Presley fan and loved listening to his music while taking scenic drives to various parks, where she enjoyed picnics. In her younger years, she even took a memorable bus trip to New York. She cherished visiting her family in Arizona and never missed an opportunity to attend her grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s events.

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Michael (Kim) Mollenhauer, Mark (Robin) Mollenhauer, Melissa (Ron) Niermeyer; grandchildren, Abby (Matt) Harriman, Jenna (Ryan) Tweeten, Zachary (Lindsey) Brewer, Zane (Kassie) Brewer, Olivia Mollenhauer, Benjamin Niermeyer; great-grandchildren, Harper Harriman, Delaney Harriman, Lettie Harriman, Gehrig Harriman, Elsie Tweeten, Grant Tweeten, Zoey Brewer, Lucy Brewer, Sadie Brewer, and seven brothers and sisters.

She was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Marshal Ferguson and Ronald Ferguson; sisters, Mary Sue Mollenhauer and Dolores Zieser.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be in the care of Mark Mollenhauer.