Mary Diane Wikert

Mary and Steve were married 55 years and she met Steve in August, 1969 in Marshalltown during his boot camp leave from the Navy and she was ready to start her junior year at the University of Iowa. They stayed up until 4:00 AM that first day/night they met sharing their love for art, archeology and architecture. From then on, they were soulmates for life. They were married on December 22nd in 1970 during Steve’s two week leave from Vietnam. Mary and Steve raised two wonderful sons, Spencer who resides in Iowa City, and Solomon who is a resident of Wisconsin.

Mary spent her entire career which spanned well over three decades as a fabulous art teacher in the Marshalltown, Allison-Bristow, and the Waterloo community schools. She was respected and loved by most every child, teacher, and administrator that she worked with.

Mary was extremely intelligent and a wonderfully talented artist who worked in pencil, pastels, intaglio prints, and ink. In the past her art was displayed in both Marshalltown, Cedar Falls, Waterloo, and the Des Moines State Fair where it won awards for excellence.

Mary and Steve spent a lifetime of collecting antiques, art, and dolls. She had been both President and Vice President of the Prairie Rapids Doll Club of Iowa. She chaired or co-chaired numerous doll exhibits and curated doll collections for museums in Iowa. In her life Mary set incredibly high standards for whatever she did and the people around her, making her highly respected and loved by everyone she met and knew.

On June 22, 2026, God mercifully accepted this wonderful, kind, and innocent soul into heaven after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for numerous years.

Mary is survived by her husband, Steve Wikert; two sons, Spencer and Solomon Wikert; two grandchildren, Sarah and Joshua Wikert; and sister, Lori (Steven) Farmer. She was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Virginia McMurray; and a sister in infancy, Judith McMurray.

Mary’s funeral will be held at 11:00am, Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Dahl-Van Hove-Schoof Funeral Home in Cedar Falls, with visitation an hour prior. Her graveside service will follow at Greenwood Cemetery in Cedar Falls. Please direct memorial contributions in Mary’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Visit www.dahlfuneralhome.com to share condolences with the family.