Phyllis Krukow

Services for 97 year old Phyllis Krukow of Dickens will be 11:00 AM Monday, November 16, 2026, at Geelan Funeral Home in Spencer. The service will be livestreamed and available for viewing on her obituary page. Burial will take place at Poland Township Cemetery in Marathon. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service from 10:00 - 11:00 AM at Geelan Funeral Home. Arrangements are under the care of Geelan Funeral Home.

Phyllis Ann “Roland” Waisner Krukow, age 97, of Dickens, Iowa, passed away peacefully on November 11, 2026 at the Ruthven Care Center.

Born on November 6, 1929, in Ruthven, Iowa, Phyllis was the daughter of Paul and Josephine (Reardon) Roland. She grew up in Gillett Grove, Iowa, alongside her four siblings, Arlene, William, Robert, and Mary Jean, and graduated from Gillett Grove High School in 1948. Basketball was a special joy during her high school years. She won the free-throw contest three years in a row, and her team earned several honors under Coach Martin.

On June 20, 1948, Phyllis married Carl E. Waisner at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Carl’s railroad work took them to several places early in their marriage before they settled in Redfield, Iowa, and later moved to Marathon, Iowa, in 1954. Together, they were blessed with three daughters. In Marathon, Phyllis enjoyed working at the grocery store before becoming head cook at the school. She attended classes in Ames for certification and served in that role for ten years. Phyllis was a faithful member of the Marathon United Methodist Church, where she volunteered her time and served in various roles. Family life brought the joys of camping, long weekends with Carl’s parents on East Lake Okoboji, and several family vacations. When Carl passed away in 1976, Phyllis was working at the Marathon Co-op.

Phyllis began a new chapter on September 22, 1978, when she married Kenneth “Ken” Krukow, welcoming his children, Randy, Mark, and Starla, and their families into her life. She made her home on the farm in Dickens, Iowa, where she shared her love of cooking through meals for the farmhands and holiday gatherings for the family. As she began her life with Ken, she became a member of the Gillett Grove United Methodist Church. Phyllis and Ken also had a camper on Lost Island, a favorite place for family visits. After Ken passed away in 1997, Phyllis remained on the farm, continuing to cook for a growing family of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She enjoyed time with friends, especially her lunch bunch, and volunteered in the schools through the Iowa Reading First Program. Her service was recognized with the governor’s award for volunteerism. In 2021, she moved to the Ruthven Care Center.

Phyllis is survived by her three daughters, Carla Anderson (Dave) of Dickens, Iowa, Paula Balder (Dave) of Albert City, Iowa, and Gina Kohrs of Spencer, Iowa; nine grandchildren; and fourteen great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her four siblings; her husbands, Carl Waisner and Ken Krukow; her son-in-law, Phil Kohrs; and many other relatives and friends.