Grace Rapp

Grace Mary Rapp, 91 of Cedar Falls died on August 8th at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo. Grace Mary, the daughter of William George and Anna (Klodt) Crowston was born January 20, 1931, at Sartori Hospital in Cedar Falls. Grace graduated from Cedar Falls High School in 1949. In the fall of 1949 she met the love of her life, Robert. Bob was the brother of her friend Betty. Betty and Grace rode the city bus together to their jobs at the Rath Packing Company in Waterloo. Betty introduced Grace to her brother and the rest is history. Bob and Grace’s relationship was a match made in heaven. They were married on December 3, 1950, at the First Baptist Church with Betty as one of the bridesmaids. Bob and Grace spent their entire sixty-six years of marriage living in Cedar Falls. Forty-five of those years they lived on Garden Ave. in a house they helped build. They were faithful members of First United Methodist Church. Grace was a stay-at-home with Cindi, Susie, and David until the late 1960’s. Her career in retail began when she applied for a job in the ladies clothing department at K-Mart on University Ave. She worked there until Younkers opened a store at College Square Mall in 1969. Grace was department head of the Junior Department and later Women’s Sportswear until her retirement in 1993. Grace and Bob loved their children and their main focus as parents was to raise kind, caring, loving and independent adults. After their success as parents they became loving and proud grandparents of six grandchildren. Each year Bob and Grace would make a trip to see Susie and her family in Arizona. When Hannah came along, they became Hannah’s caretaker while David and Ronda worked. Cindi and her girls spent many Saturdays going to College Square Mall to have lunch with Grandma and her coworkers at Bishops Buffet. Two years after Bob passed away Grace moved to Ledges 3 and made many new friends. A group of ladies frequently enjoyed a glass of wine and conversation on Grace’s patio. Also on Sunday nights Grace would join a group of friends in the Community Room to play cards. Grace loved her life at Ledges 3 and didn’t want to leave because her neighbors wouldn’t be able to drop in to visit. Grace is survived by daughters, Cindi (Randy) Hartman of La Porte City, Susie (Steve) Jans of Oro Valley, Arizona; son, David (Ronda) Rapp of Cedar Falls; grandchildren, Heather (Rob Long) Hartman-Long of Waterloo, Tiffani Ingram of Cedar Park, Texas, Brooke Hartman of Waterloo, Chad (Michelle) Jans of Fort Collins, Colorado, Tyler Jans of Phoenix, Arizona, and Hannah Rapp of Ames. There are four great grandchildren: Michael Syphrit, Rylie Long, Caden Long, Paige Ingram and two step great grandchildren; Gabrielle Willhite and Cameron Carmona. Grace is proceeded in death by her parents, William George and Anna Crowston, husband, Robert, and five siblings, Hilda, Robert, and William Donald Crowston, Josephine Whitney, and Arthur Crowston. Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Friday, August 12, 2022, at First United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday at Richardson Funeral Service. Burial will be at Fairview Cemetery in Cedar Falls. Memorials may be directed to Cedar Valley Hospice.

Grace Rapp

January 20, 1931 - August 8, 2022