Ann C. Fails, 79
Ann C. Fails, age 79 of Nashua, died Thursday, April 8, 2021, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City.
A Mass of Christian Burial was held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 12, 2021, at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Little Turkey with Rev. Nick Radloff celebrating the Mass.
Interment was held at St. Mary’s Cemetery, Little Turkey with Ryan Franzen, Kyle Franzen, Tyler Franzen, James Ungs, Dominic King, Colton Kraft, David Reed, Brandon Fails, and Bruce Roe. Honorary pallbearers were Kayla Zeien, Cassandra Moore, Meghan Fails, Mariah Fails, Abigail Reed, Lexie Reed, and Trinity Fails.
Friends greeted the family from 4 - 7 p.m. Sunday, April 11, 2021, at Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton. There was no visitation prior to the service on Monday. Online condolences for Ann's family may be left at hugebackfuneralhome.com.
Ann was born on July 3, 1941, in Lansing, Michigan, and she was the youngest of Albert and Evelyn (Hill) Kreucher.
She attended Catholic schools growing up, and after graduation, she played in a band called the “Rhythm Queens” playing guitar and steel guitar. Ann met her future husband Kenneth Fails and they were married on February 16, 1963.
The couple made their home in Detroit, Michigan. In 1973 the couple moved back to Iowa, where they farmed and Ann also worked for a number of dairy farmers in the Plainfield/Nashua areas. Their family grew to include seven children — Laura, Lisa, Chris, Rachel, Matt, Missy, and Jessica — and the family eventually moved to the Nashua area in 1982. The couple later divorced.
Ann taught her children the value of hard work, and she walked the talk, too, working in milking operations until she was 70 years old.
Although not a big fan of flying, she loved to travel, especially in and around Iowa. She was an avid flower gardener and crafter; in fact, for several years, she ran an in-home business making crafts and flowers for events like weddings and anniversaries. She was a longtime volunteer at the Old Bradford Pioneer Museum in Nashua, and at one time, she served as president of the museum's Board of Directors. In her free time, she also was a fan of Hallmark Channel movies.
One of Ann's best friends was Marlene, and they often talked two, three times a day and were two — as the old proverb says — "peas in a pod."
Ann was immensely proud of her 21 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren, including the one "on the way" this October.
She was a member of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Little Turkey.
Ann lived a full life — one filled with hard work, love, and fun — and she will be dearly missed by her children, her grandchildren, her "greats" and her friends.
Ann is survived by her seven children, Laura (John) Skillen of Waverly, IA, Lisa (Dale) Rider of Waterloo, IA, Chris Fails of Nashua, IA, Rachel (Bruce Roe) Fails of Largo, FL, Matt (Heather) Fails of Plymouth, IA, Missy (Shane Kellogg) Sailor of Blackhawk, SD, and Jessica (David) Reed of Greene, IA; twenty-one grandchildren and twenty-seven great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents; one brother, Albert Kreucher; one sister, Trudy Kreucher; one nephew, John Kreucher, ex-husband, Kenneth Fails.
