Lana Eagen

Lana Jean Eagen, 79, of Mason City, passed away on Monday, October 4, 2021, at the Good Shepherd Health Center. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM Wednesday, October 13, 2021, at the First United Methodist Church, 119 S Georgia Ave. with the Rev. Carol Kress officiating. Interment will be held in the Glenwood Cemetery, Goldfield, IA. For those wishing to order flowers for the service, the family requests flowers be purchased through Baker Floral as that was Lana and Terry’s favorite floral shop. Memorials may be directed to the Good Shepherd Health Center, 302 2nd St. NE, or The Alzheimer's Association, www.alz.org. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com

Lana’s story began on June 14, 1942, in Ft. Dodge, IA. She was the eldest of 4 children born to Harlan and Doris (Rossow) Larson of Goldfield, IA. Lana grew up enjoying a simple life of riding her horses, reading, singing in church, spending time with friends and family, and playing basketball. She loved basketball! In 1959 she earned the Look Magazine Commendation Award. This award honored outstanding achievement in Iowa Girls’ Basketball, in addition to being named one of Iowa’s top players by sports writers of the Des Moines Register and Tribune.

After graduating with honors from Goldfield High School in 1960, she enrolled in Drake University to pursue a degree in Elementary Education. Lana was very active in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, in addition to devoting numerous volunteer hours to campus organizations that promoted professional educational growth, especially focused on women. On December 21, 1963, she took time out from her busy schedule to wed a handsome high school football coach and teacher. After graduating with her B.A.in Elementary Education on January 26, 1964, she set out on an adventure of a lifetime!

Faith, hope and love was the foundation of her marriage to Terry Eagen. Add to that patience and loyalty, as their 57 years of marriage took them to several different cities in Iowa. Lana began her career in 1964 in Ellsworth, IA, teaching 3rd grade. She continued to teach as the young couple moved to Ames and Harlan. In 1967 she put her career on hold to start a family. While raising her family, she maintained a busy volunteer schedule in all the communities she called home, especially Marshalltown. Her primary volunteer focus was empowering women and children through involvement with the YMCA Board of Directors, AAUW (President), and P.E.O., to name a few.

Lana resumed her teaching career in 1986. She had a genuine love and passion for education, always encouraging and going the extra mile for her students. Most notable was one of her last jobs as a Teacher’s Aide in Rockwell-Swaledale. She was tasked with assisting a young lady who suffered permanent blindness and a brain injury after a car accident. Lana learned braille so she could better assist Rachel with her school work, in addition to helping her learn basic living skills with a goal of independent living. After Lana retired in 2007, she maintained a beautiful friendship with Rachel, often chatting with her for hours on the phone. Devotion, kindness, and insightfulness...a few more wonderful qualities that Lana possessed.

Family and friends meant the world to Lana. They filled up her senses. She was proud of her Norwegian and German heritage, travelling to Norway often for family reunions and staying in touch with her distant cousins; she cherished her birdwatching trips with her O.L.D. friends from Marshalltown; she followed the activities of her children and grandchildren with great pride; she loved to fiddle in the garden and create crafty arrangements with foliage from the yard; she loved a good game of solitaire or sudoku; she enjoyed artwork by P. Buckley Moss and sculptures by Isabel Bloom; and she especially loved her travel adventures with family and friends that took her across the country and overseas.

Beauty was one of Lana’s most endearing qualities, from her sparkling eyes to her amazing smile. She carried herself with grace and dignity, and always led by example. She could tell you many things just with a glance, and always made you feel good about yourself. And her most precious quality: her love of music. Even when Alzheimer’s Disease stole her ability to speak, it was soulfully sweet to hear her humming along to her favorite John Denver CD.

Lana is survived by her sons Todd Eagen of Cedar Falls, IA, and Kyle Eagen (Beth) of Westminster, CO; her daughter Lisa Eagen (Amy) of Marietta, GA; four grandchildren Allison, Caroline, Miles and Norah; her brother Lance Larson (Linda) of Elkhorn, NE; her sister Lynne Malloy (Robert) of West Des Moines, IA; her sister-in-law Deb Larson of Lehigh, IA; and several nieces, nephews, granddogs and grandcats.

Preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Terry Eagen; an infant son, Michael Lewis Eagen; her brother, Larry Larson; and sister-in-law Mary Eagen.

Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Mason City, Iowa 50401, 641-423-0924, www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.