Malola Colleen Atwood

Malola Colleen Atwood, 68, of Sioux City passed away on Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at a Sioux City hospital. Per her wishes her body was cremated. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, March 29, 2014 with a visitation at 9:30 a.m. and the service taking place at 10:30 a.m. with Rev. Jerry Bruhn officiating. The service and visitation will be held at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel and the burial will be at a later date in the Memorial Park Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Malola was born on May 23, 1945, to Arthur and Mary Colleen "Kelly" Owen. One of six siblings, she loved her brothers and sisters dearly and remained close to them her entire life. Their laughter and love buoyed her though hard times and they supported each other through life's many curveballs. Malola loved learning and graduated from Riverside High School in 1963. She attended Morningside College and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in only three years. She met her husband of 50 years, Larry Atwood, when she was only 14 years old. In order to start a conversation with her, Larry bet her a dollar to jump off the high-dive at the local community pool. And with the courage, tenacity, and fierceness of spirit that represented her so well, she did it. On June 6, 1964, she took a different jump and married Larry. They had two children, Scott and Megan, and Malola demonstrated her fierce love for her family everyday. Malola's other main love was teaching. She taught English for 31 years with the Sioux City Community School Districtthe only Riverside High graduate to return to the school to teachand retired in 2000. She loved the act of learning, the crafting of words, and the beauty of language. Through her career she enriched the lives of countless students. After retiring, she enjoyed reading, word games, time with friends, and volunteering. She volunteered at NECC, WITCC, MS Walks, Sioux City Museum, and St. Luke's Hospital. And always, she enjoyed spending time with her family. Malola is survived by her husband Larry Atwood of Sioux City; son Scott Eric (Marlie) of Des Moines, IA; daughter Megan Colleen of Minneapolis, MN; father Arthur Owen of Sioux City, IA; brother Dean (June) Jarman of Arlington, SD; sister Susan (Bill) Leckband of Benton City, WA; brother Bill Owen and partner Lavonda Kellogg of Richland, WA; sister Mary Beth (Kevin) Dage of Kennewick, WA; sister Jamie (Peter) Heijmans of Kennewick, WA; granddaughters Brianna Atwood of Iowa City, IA and Colette Atwood of Des Moines, IA; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her mother, Kelly Owen, and her mother-in-law Dorothy Atwood. Online condolences may be sent to www.meyerbroschapels.com