Obituary:
Mary Ann Hulme of Iowa City died Monday, December 4, 2023, after a short illness. Her children, granddaughter, and siblings miss her kindness, sharp wit, and sense of humor greatly.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Lensing Funeral and Cremation Service. Condolences can be written at the Lensing website at www.lensingfuneral.com. A private funeral and interment of her ashes will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, Iowa City, IA. A memorial service for friends and family will be held on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 3:00 pm at The Terry Trueblood Pavilion, 579 McCollister Blvd, Iowa City, IA 52240. A reception will follow the memorial service, from 3:30 – 5:30 pm.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to help defray funeral expenses. Any balance in excess of these expenses will be donated to the non-profit Corgi Rescue. 100% of all contributions will go either to funeral expenses or to Corgi Rescue (
https://corgi.rescueme.org/). Contributions can be made on our GoFundMe page at (
https://gofund.me/69bc68bd).
Mary had an eventful and happy life of service. She was always the first to help anyone who needed her. She brightened the lives of all who knew her. Mary’s circle of friends is densely populated!
Mary was a 1978 graduate of West High School, Iowa City. After high school she enlisted in the US Army, serving at various installations in the United States and in Germany. She was part of a path-breaking generation of female military service members. In the Army her specialty was the K-9 corps, and she put this expertise in dog handling to good use after her honorable discharge from the military.
Mary was a career employee of the Iowa Department of Corrections, retiring after 30 years of service. She also became a nationally prominent breeder of Corgi dogs, raising several champions, winning numerous awards, and making many friends in this field. Most important, she was the devoted mother of four children, who were the light of her life.
Mary is survived by her children: Matthew Kostiv of Iowa City and Jacob Kostiv(Emma) of Marion, IA; Joey Podhajsky (Jon Robinson) of Terrell, NC; Rebecca Lemonds of Tampa, FL; and her granddaughter Ella Robinson of Terrell, NC. Her family includes her four loving siblings: Sara Hulme (Michael Hardy) of Pittsboro, NC; Emily Mellecker (Patrick) and Janis Russell (Rip) of Iowa City; Stephen Hulme (Gloria) of Raleigh, NC and Coralville, IA. Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas and Ann Hulme.
Mary’s kindness, love, and generosity will be greatly missed by everyone who had the good fortune to know her.