Mary Lou Van Cleve

Mary Lou Van Cleve, of Cedar Rapids, passed away on Friday, September 19, 2025, in Littleton, Colorado.

A Visitation will be held on Thursday October 16, 2025, from 4-7 p.m. at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home. A Funeral Mass celebrating Mary Lou's life at 10:30 a.m. will be held on Friday October 17, 2025, at St. Ludmila Catholic Church, with an hour of visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. until mass time. The Reverend Kenneth Glaser will officiate. Mary Lou will be laid to rest at St. Joseph's Cemetery.

Survivors include her children: Kelly (Dr. Michael) Ramirez, Dr. Joseph (Amy) Van Cleve, James Van Cleve, Lt. Cmdr. (Ret.) Jay (Christine) Van Cleve, and Kathleen (Daniel) Johnson; 11 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren. Her surviving siblings are Louise Larson, Kathy Maloney, and Tom (Diane) Maloney.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Dr. Arthur Van Cleve; her son, John Van Cleve; her brothers, Loras and Elwood Maloney Jr.; and her sisters, Normalea Krumholz and Shirley Kane.

Mary Lou was born on August 26, 1930, in Watkins, Iowa, the daughter of Elwood and Velma Maloney. She graduated from St. Patrick's Catholic High School in 1947 and worked as a bookkeeper for Concrete Materials & Construction Company for 10 years. On July 12, 1958, she married Dr. Arthur Van Cleve at St. Patrick's Church in Cedar Rapids.

She cherished her role as a housewife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother above all else, finding her greatest joy and purpose in nurturing her family and creating a home filled with love. Mary Lou's legacy lives on in the warmth of the family she nurtured, the values she instilled, and the love she gave so freely. Her unwavering devotion, quiet strength, and gentle and feisty spirit will continue to inspire all who knew her. Though she has left this world, her presence will be felt in every shared memory, every family gathering, and every act of kindness passed down through generations.

A memorial fund has been established in lieu of flowers.