Marilyn Lucille (Faas) Pruess, age 88, passed away on October 3, 2020 at the Clarence Nursing Home. Services will be held at 1:00 PM on Thursday October 8, 2020 at St. John's United Church of Christ in Clarence with Rev. Matt Schneider -Adams officiating. Visitation will be from 11:00 AM until service time also at the church. Masks and social distancing will be enforced. Burial will be in St. John's Cemetery, Clarence. Marilyn was born on January 17, 1932 at home on her family's farm in Iowa County, three miles north of Millersburg, IA. It was 3am and an ice storm was raging. Dr Miller was on his way from his office in North English, 12 miles away, in his horse and buggy over icy, slippery country roads, but he got there too late. Marilyn's dad had to deliver her. Doc Miller said he did a great job-Doc only had to tie the cord a little closer. After he put his horse and buggy in the barn he came back into the kitchen and sat down in front of the wood cook stove, opened the oven door, and put his feet in to warm them up. Marilyn spent her early years growing up on the Faas family farm where she attended Rosehill, a one room country school along with her 6 siblings. At 13 she was invited by her mother's sister Naomi Johnson and her husband Marlin (who was the Superintendent at the Clarence Schools) to live with them during the school year and help with the couples' two small boys (Ronnie and Robert). She would return home during the summer months to help her family, as she was the middle child in the group of seven. Marilyn graduated from Clarence High School in May 1950. She married Marvin Pruess on October 15, 1950 and permanently made Clarence her home. Marilyn and Marvin farmed the Pruess Family Century Farm, est. in 1898, southeast of Clarence until they retired from farming in 1981. Along with raising three children and working on the Pruess family farm Marilyn worked at Tracker Bakery, the B&K Grocery and Farm Store (1967-1976) and the Clarence Nursing Home (1976-2011). She started her employment there in the kitchen as a dish washer and kitchen help, eventually becoming a Nurses Aid and finally an LPN. In 1982 (at age 50) as her involvement in health care increased, she enrolled in part time night classes at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids and graduated in 1986 with her degree as a licensed Practical Nurse. She retired from the C.N.H. in Feb. 2011 at the age of 79. When the Clarence-Lowden Ambulance Service was established in 1976, Marilyn challenged herself and volunteered to receive training as an EMT (Emergency Rescue Tech). Marilyn was one of the original team of nine volunteers to receive EMT training to get the ambulance team started. She was an active volunteer from 1976-1991 and spent many hours of her time over her 15 year association also working as Ambulance Coordinator and in training new EMT's. Marilyn has been recognized for her services to her community that included improving community mental health to the elderly (1992) and assisting people with disabilities and the elderly through Volunteer Services of Cedar County (1999). After changing her residence from her farm to a Clarence Assisted Living apartment in 2013, she continued to do volunteer work at the Nursing Home for 5 years, taking weekly blood pressures of the residents. Marilyn enjoyed talking to the residents and sharing in their experiences, often of long ago. Marilyn has been a member of St. John's United Church of Christ and the Clarence Legion Auxiliary Post Unit 286 since 1954. Marilyn is survived by her children, Russell (Shelley), Kathleen (Richard) Lyster and Roger (Dionne), her grandchildren, Eric (Melissa), Neal (Sami), Keith (Shannon) Lyster, Jason (Christine), Misty (Ben) Halmers and Samantha (Derek) Meinders and eight great-grandchildren. Also surviving is a brother Richard (Doris) Faas, sisters Ruth Ann Gorsh and Esther Dant and sister in-law Elaine Faas. She also has 26 nieces and nephews. Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband of 45 years Marvin, her parents Floyd and Irene (Hinrichs) Faas, sister Phyllis Bauer, brothers Robert and Donald, sisters in-law Maxine (Grimm) Faas and Pat (Carter) Faas, brothers in-law Eldon Bauer and Charles Gorsh, her daughter in-law JoAnn (Schulz) Pruess, her parents in-law Wilfred and Elsie (Amend) Pruess and brother and sister in-law Donald and Patricia (Lannert) Pruess. With over 60 years of community involvement, Clarence will miss Marilyn for she was a pillar of strength, wisdom, and fun. She empathized and encouraged all of us to do the best we can, and to seek the best in others. She was and will continue to be loved and respected, and will be missed by her family, friends, and all who knew her. She was a blessing to us all. Marilyn's family would like to thank the Clarence Senior Living Facility for the many years of wonderful care they gave mom. Her later years were greatly enriched by the caring team that she encountered there. As she repeatedly stated, "I'm in a good place here." Thank You All. In leu of flowers, memorials may be given to the family.