Obituary for Arloene Jean Yungclas

Arloene Jean (McGowan) Yungclas was born to Phyllis and Arlo McGowan on September 17, 1934, in Woolstock, Iowa. She passed away on July 2, 2026.

Her day always started with a cup of coffee and the Des Moines Register.

Arloene spent her younger years in the small towns of Iowa where her father served as a superintendent of schools. She attended Vernon High School, where she played on the girls' basketball team and graduated in 1952. After high school, she attended the Iowa Lutheran School of Nursing, graduating in 1955.

In eighth grade, Arloene met James ("Jim") Arthur Yungclas when they both attended Methodist church camp at Lake Okoboji. They married on March 5, 1955, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, while Jim was home on a weekend pass before deploying to Germany with the U.S. Army.

Arloene and Jim spent the first year of their married life in Germany. They bought an old car and explored Europe together. Upon returning to the United States, Jim finished college, and they both began their careers and family life. After several jobs and many moves, they settled in Spirit Lake, Iowa, where Arloene joined Berkley and Company as an Occupational Health Nurse. She served as a 4-H leader for the Diamond Lake Darlings and enjoyed playing bridge with Jim and friends while their four children played outside by the lake. She had an uncanny ability to put a meal on the table, even when there wasn't much in the refrigerator.

After retirement, Arloene and Jim took on another project when they returned to Renwick, Iowa, to restore the McGowan family home. Although Jim did the bulk of the manual labor, as always, he only succeeded because Arloene took care of everything else. She was a constant presence, always ready with a meal on the table, directing the cleanup crew, and making sure everyone was taken care of.

In 2012, Arloene and Jim moved to Grinnell, Iowa, where they stayed active with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, wrote the best Christmas letters, and completed countless house projects for their children and grandchildren.

Arloene is survived by her three daughters, Susan Kolbe (Kevin) of Grinnell, Iowa, and their daughters, Emily (Ben) and Liz (David); Jan Yungclas (Sterling) of Spirit Lake, Iowa, and her sons, Matt and Mike; Cathy Yungclas of West Des Moines, Iowa, and her son, Nick; her grandsons, Sam and Jack (Sammi) Yungclas; six great-grandchildren; and her sister, Colleen McGowan (Tom) of Greenwood, South Carolina. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Jim; her son, David; and her brother, James McGowan (Catherine).