Lorene Mahler
The angels came for Lorene Mahler on the evening of March, 10, 2021. Wanda Lorene was born to Lloyd A. Lindesmith and Myrtle Crystal Black on February 27, 1932 at the family farm in Stephens County Oklahoma. She graduated from Addington High School and then went to beauty school in Wichita Falls, Texas.
She worked for Perkins-Timberlake Department store until she and her best friend, Essie, opened up a shop in Iowa Park, Texas. There, she met her husband and soulmate, William Fred Mahler. They were married on January 28, 1955 in Burkburnett, TX. Lorene retired from hairdressing and followed her husband in his career as a botanist. After a year in Pecos, TX, they returned to Iowa Park and built a house near Gordon Lake. Only a year later, they decided to move to Stillwater, OK for her husband to get his Masters Degree. To keep herself occupied, Lorene became an expert in light rifle sharp shooting. After graduation, they moved to Abilene, TX and on to Knoxville, TN for Bill’s PhD degree. They finally settled in Richardson, Texas where Bill was a Professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. After the kids left home, Lorene began working at the Dallas County Tax Office and worked there for ten years at the Dealer’s Desk. Upon retirement, they spent six months living in a hotel in downtown Ft. Worth while Bill served as an interim director for the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT). They then returned to Iowa Park and the many friends they had when they were young.
Lorene was a loving mother and devoted wife, always putting her family first. She had an uncanny memory for dates and events and was a whiz at numbers. She was close to her siblings, nieces, & nephews and visited them often. Lorene loved to visit the mountains. Through Bill’s work, they were able to spend several summers at SMU’s Ft. Burgwin, near Taos, NM. Where ever they went, they made close friends through playing bridge. After Bill’s death in 2013, she continued to play in Wichita and Iowa Park until her health began failing. She was a member of First Methodist Church of Iowa Park.
Lorene is preceded in death by her parents and her siblings: Mary Lavonne, Lloyd Paul, Jackie Lou, & Clifford Ralph.
She leaves behind her daughter, Brenda Cornitius (Tim) of Wright, Kansas and her son, Shawn Mahler of Iowa Park; her grandchildren, Matthew Cornitius (Victoria), Rebecca Johnson (Jason), Hayley Mahler, Jacob Mahler, & Nicholas Mahler; three great-granchildren and two step-grandchildren.
Services will be held Tuesday, March 16 at 10:00 am at First Methodist Church, Iowa Park. There will be a visitation held Monday, March 15 at Dutton Funeral Home in Iowa Park from 6 to 8 p.m.
She will be laid to rest in Highland Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Friendly Door & First Methodist Church of Iowa Park.
