Marieta Ruth (Kreger) Graf, age 94 of Olin, died on September 20, 2016 at the Solon Care Center in Solon, Iowa. A memorial service will be held on Saturday October 1, 2016 at 11:00 A.M at St. John's Lutheran Church in Olin, Iowa, with Pastor Cindy McKinzie officiating. Burial of ashes will follow at the Olin Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at the church after the burial. Visitation will be held from 9-11 A.M at the church. Marieta was the fifth of six children born to Edward and Frieda (Schellin) Kreger of rural Olin on December 7, 1921. Frieda passed away from pneumonia in 1923, however, Edward kept the family together with the help of many relatives, including Lena (Kreger) Juergenson, Icy Guhl, and Francis (Guhl) Thompson. Marieta attended the Sand Hill Elementary school near Hale, Iowa, then transferred to Olin Consolidated School in fifth grade and graduated from high school in 1939. A fond and special memory of her high school years was being a cheerleader at the 1938 Girl's State Basketball Tournament when the Olin girls went to state (and her sister, Rosalie, played on the team). Many of her school classmates were lifelong friends. At 92, she was able to attend her 75th class reunion in 2014. During the war, Marieta served her country by working in the Anamosa shirt factory and the Burlington ordinance factory. Hitch-hiking with her friend, Jo Fisher, and getting a job welding Navy ships in Wureka, California alongside her "Rosie the Riveter" counterparts was a courageous and unforgettable experience for the small-town Iowa girl. Allen & Marieta married in 1946 and raised 8 children in Olin. He passed on April 5, 2013. Marieta worked alongside Allen running the Olin District School buses and with their children in the Graf's Drive-In they owned for 10 years. In 2009, Allen & Marieta moved to the Solon Assisted Living Center. Even after moving to the nursing home side of the facility in 2016, Marieta continued to walk on her own over to the assisted living center for her meals and activities, and to see her friends whose friendship meant so much to her – especially Helen, Kay, Pauline and Donna. She was so thankful for the staff at the Solon ALC and Care Center who went "above and beyond" to help her live with her loss of sight from macular degeneration and from the effects of a stroke in 2015. Marieta is survived by her children, Robert Graf (Patty Dickson) of Anamosa; Lana (Jim) Ballou of Olin; Larry (Cindy) Graf of Marion; Debra (Bernie) Abeyta of Ankeny; Dennis Graf of Cedar Rapids; Jodi (Dan) Rickels of Solon; and Christine Graf of Holland, MI; 11 grandchildren and 23 great grandchildren; sister, Rosalie Rohwedder (who resides at the Clarence Care Center); sister-in-law, Betty (Kreger) Lambert of Monticello; and many nieces and nephews. Marieta was preceded in death by husband, Allen; son, Aric; an infant son at birth; her parents; brothers Marvin (Bob), Vernie, and Earl; sisters, Evelyn and Elna and a great granddaughter Sydney Jackson.