Celebration of Life Service: Saturday, January 11, 2020, 10:30 A.M., Peterson Mortuary, 212 S. Locust Street, Glenwood, Iowa.
Retha Joyce (Foster) McGinnis, 87 of Glenwood, Iowa passed away January 5, 2020 in Glenwood. She was born February 7, 1932 in Bartlett, Iowa to Arthur Earl and Jessie Violet (Isom) Foster. Retha was raised around the Tabor area where she graduated from high school. She attended college at Northwest Missouri State where she earned her degree in education.
Retha was united in marriage to Charles Keith McGinnis on December 19, 1954 in Tabor, Iowa. To this union three children were born, Diane, Teresa and Chuck. Retha taught at the Glenwood Community High School until her retirement. Some of her favorite enjoyments were golfing, playing bridge, investing and watching sports. She was an avid reader and loved being with her family and friends.
Preceding Retha in passing were her parents, husband Keith; sisters Elaine and Lila. Survivors include children Diane (Alan) Wilson of Tempe, Arizona; Teresa (Tim) Briscoe of Westminster, Colorado; Chuck (Kim) McGinnis of Crete, Nebraska; 7 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; sister Marcella (Newt) Heaton of Shenandoah, Iowa; several nieces, nephews, extended relatives and many friends.Celebration of Life Service: Saturday, January 11, 2020, 10:30 A.M., Peterson Mortuary, 212 S. Locust Street, Glenwood, Iowa.
Interment, Glenwood Cemetery, Glenwood, Iowa.
Memorials may be made to the Retha McGinnis Dollars for Scholarship Fund.
11 Condolences
So sorry for your loss. Your family will be in our thoughts and prayers
Thoughts and prayers to Retha’s family. She was a sweet soul and so much fun to golf with. God Bless.
Kevin and Carrie James
Diane & family : So very sorry for your family’s loss. Thinking of you & sending prayers .
Our Hearts and Prayers are always with the Mcginnis Family.
Retha was the gentlest soul we have had the pleasure to know. Her smile and quit wit will always be remembered! Prayers for strength and peace to Retha’s family.
I am sorry for your loss. She was a lovely person and an excellent teacher. I always admired your parents. Your dad was the first principal I taught under. They both worked hard to make a difference in education .
To the McGinnis children – Your mother and Bill McKee were my supervising teachers when I did my student teaching at Glenwood in 1969. They both made it such an enjoyable and fun adventure and I have always thought of that experience as a highlight of my life. Your Mom was a wonderful mentor and so kind to a young person about to graduate from college. Because I married Gary Anderson, the high school wrestling coach at the time, and lived in Glenwood for a few years, I was still able to visit with her. I have thought of her so often over the years and still credit her for my love for teaching–which I am still doing–exactly 50 years later! I’ll never forget her and the influence she had on my life. Carol Anderson
So sorry for your loss. She was a Great Lady and a wonderful teacher
My condolences to the McGinnis family on the passing of Retha. I was a sophomore at Stanton when. Your father started teaching and coaching. Retha was our chaperone for our basketball team. And I believe that she also got to read the history reports we wrote every six weeks for two years! Mr. McGinnis was the best coach I ever had and had a major influence on my life. May you know that your parents provided excellent role models for the students they had in Stanton! God’s blessings on you all.
So sorry to see this…..Mr. McGinnis was my coach through all four years of high school and Mrs. McGinnis was always so kind to me. I visited them at their home in Glenwood when I back home to visit my mother in Thurman. They were just wonderful people.
Retha was a true treasure for her students, her church and community. She would always greet people with a warm smile and a little laugh. I so fondly remember spending time in the teacher’s workroom solving crossword puzzles with her. I considered her a true mentor during my first years of teaching. She will be missed.
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