Mary Kay Timmons

Mary Kay Timmons, née Benda, passed away peacefully of natural causes on March 13, 2026, at the age of 78. Born December 22, 1947, to Harry and Blanche Benda, she grew up in Toledo before moving to Tama. A graduate of South Tama High School, she went on to earn an Associates degree from Ellsworth Community College in 1967, where she was crowned Homecoming Queen. She later became an x-ray technician at St. Luke’s Hospital, a career she devoted more than 35 years to before retiring in 2015.

In 1970, Mary Kay married Robert Timmons, and together they settled in Cedar Rapids, where they raised their two sons, Brahn and Kyle, before divorcing in 1979. She was a deeply devoted mother who poured herself into providing for her boys, always putting their needs before her own. She was a loving mother-in-law to Tracy, a proud grandmother to Isabelle, Harper, Brendan, and a great-grandmother to Sialous and Ivyanne. Her family was her greatest joy, and she cherished every moment spent with them.

Mary Kay found simple pleasures in tending her flower garden each spring, solving Sudoku, crosswords, and jigsaw puzzles, and relaxing on her deck with a glass of wine and good friends. She worked hard all her life, earning a reputation as the hardest-working lady among those who knew her, yet she maintained a warm laugh, a playful sense of humor, and an upbeat spirit that drew people to her. She loved the music of the Beatles and Elvis in her younger years and later found delight in the humor of Johnny Carson and Jay Leno. Those close to her will always remember her affectionate way of calling friends “kiddo” and ending every call or visit with the words “I love you.”

She was preceded in death by her father, Harry, her mother, Blanche, her brother Roger, and sister-in-law Mary Jo. Mary Kay will be forever loved and deeply missed, her memory continuing to bloom in the hearts of all whose lives she touched.