Rose Marie Draheim

Rose Marie Draheim, 95, of Naples, Florida and formerly of Clarion, passed away on Saturday, September 13, 2025 in Naples, Florida.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at Ewing Funeral Home, 1801 Central Avenue East in Clarion. Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery in Clarion.

Family and friends are invited to stay at the funeral home for lunch and fellowship following the memorial service.

Rose Marie was born on the family farm near Bode, IA, on March 1, 1930, the first of three children born to Roy and Martha (Rood) Johnson. She loved telling of her earliest childhood memories, where pots and pans were her first toys. The kitchen was her playroom while her mother cooked in her uncle’s restaurant. When her brothers Roy and Neil arrived five and eight years after her, it was her job to entertain and care for them there.

In 1943, the family moved to Kanawha, IA, where Roy and Martha opened their own restaurant, the Johnson Café. Their living quarters were above the restaurant. By this time, Rose Marie was tasked with helping as a cook and server as well as trying to keep her brothers out of trouble!

When she was 16 years old, the family moved to Corwith, IA. After graduation from Corwith High School, Rose Marie earned her teaching degree at Iowa Teachers College (now UNI) in Cedar Falls, IA. Over the next few years she taught 1st grade in the small Iowa towns of Coon Rapids, Gowrie, Bondurant, and Rowan. While a student at the Teachers College, she caught the eye of a fellow student; quick-witted and handsome Newt Draheim. Rose Marie and Newt were married December 23, 1951. They moved to Des Moines where Newt attended Drake Law School and she continued teaching. Later they moved to Newt's hometown of Clarion, IA, where he began his law practice while she taught in Rowan. Soon after, their son, Ned, was born, and three years later their daughter, Sara, was born.

Rose Marie put all her energies into being a full-time homemaker. She always credited time spent in the restaurants’ kitchens as the reason, by everyone’s assessment, she was an excellent cook. She especially knew how to make the best fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, and pies – any type of pie! In her spare time, she enjoyed using her natural artistic ability to draw and paint. As her children were finishing their college degrees, Rose Marie felt a pull to further her own education. She commuted to Iowa State and soon earned her bachelor’s degree in Art. Her family will tell you that those were most likely some of the most fulfilling years of her life. After graduation, Rose Marie was honored to have some of her pieces accepted into Des Moines art galleries and she was appointed by Governor Branstad to serve on the Iowa Arts Council. Over the years, her work was included in many private art shows around northern Iowa and in Marco Island, FL, where she and Newt spent their retirement winters. Newt died on September 13, 2015, exactly 10 years before Rose Marie’s passing.

Shortly after Newt’s death, Rose Marie moved permanently to Naples, FL, to live closer to Sara. Her faith was always an important part of her life, and during her time in Florida, Rose Marie regularly attended church services at the Naples United Church of Christ. She immersed herself in her new life at The Carlisle senior living facility in Naples where she made many new friends. She organized and enjoyed playing bridge with her group of lady friends. In addition, she nurtured her artistic talent by continuing to paint. She loved taking art classes at the Von Liebig Art Center in Naples well into her nineties, where she was the undisputed senior member of the art students.

Rose Marie will be remembered by her family as an artistically talented woman with a firm inner strength and independent spirit. Her intelligence and sharp mind made her a force to reckon with, but her calm and gentle lovingkindness melted us all.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Roy and Martha Johnson, her husband, Newt Draheim, and her brother and sister-in-law, Roy Jr. and Madge Johnson.

She is survived by her brother, Neil (Judy) Johnson of Gold Canyon, AZ; her son, Ned (Beth)Draheim of Huxley, IA; her grandchildren Clint (Andrea) Draheim of Waukee, IA, Jenna (OJ) Froehlich of Huxley, IA, Paige (Drew) Wilson of Johnston, IA, and Laura (Cameron) Macdonald of Huxley, IA; and her daughter, Sara (Richard) Treiser of Naples, FL; her step-grandsons Michael Treiser of Denver, CO, and Sean (Sarah Pupillo) Treiser of Atlanta, GA; and great-grandchildren Tanner, Jackson, and Kinsley Draheim; Beckett, Carver, and Nora Froehlich; Clara and Lydia Wilson, and Eli and Mason Macdonald.