Marcella (Billie) Huntress

A funeral service for Marcella Huntress of Milford will be held Wednesday, September 3, 2025 at 1:00PM at First Lutheran Church in West Okoboji. Burial is at Dickens Cemetery. A visitation for Marcella will be on Tuesday, September 2nd from 5-7PM at Turner Jenness Funeral Home in Milford.

Marcella (Billie) Ann Huntress was born May 4, 1935, on a farm near Ayrshire, Iowa. She was the daughter of Clarence and Thelma (Blighton) Nelson. She had one brother, Clarence Junior. The name Billie came from her father who said to have wanted her to be a boy. She spent her childhood years growing up in rural Clay and Palo Alto counties, attending rural schools. She worked hard doing chores on the farm and then loved to go roller skating with her aunts and friends. Marcella passed away peacefully on August 28, 2025, at the age of 90 years at Spencer Post Acute Rehabilitation Center surrounded by her family. She was a member of the First Lutheran Church of Milford, Iowa.

Marcella married Charles Beck with 7 children born into this relationship. The marriage later dissolved. In her early working years, she balanced time raising her children while waitressing in Estherville, when an opportunity came her way to manage the all-girls gas station Fina in Estherville and Spencer. This opportunity moved her to Spencer for several years. She spent her leisure time showing horses, sewing clothing for her 4 daughters, dancing, and playing cards (especially when she could beat her dad in a game of 500.)

Later she met Richard Huntress, and they married in 1975, spending many years working together building their restaurant in Fostoria which served people miles around. She is well known to this day for many items on the menu but mostly for her hashbrowns with cheese and onions and pan-fried chicken. After leaving the restaurant business she continued to serve people working at J. C. Penney before becoming the manager of Caseys in Spencer and later moving to Milford to manage that store. While living in Milford in addition to managing Caseys, they opened The Little Flea Market, an antique and coffee shop. They enjoyed visiting with the community over coffee, bars, and pie. They especially liked spending days off with their grandchildren, teaching them to fish and taking them to Arnolds Park every summer until Rich’s death in 2008. She continued to go fishing, bowling, antiquing, and playing cards with her family and neighbors after retiring in 2012. Marcella lived in Milford until 2020 when she moved into the nursing home.

She is survived by her sons, Charles Beck (Nancy) of Fostoria, Iowa and David Huntress (Michelle) of Milford, Iowa; daughters, Mollie (Mark) Sander of Estherville, Iowa, Debra (Brian) Brodersen of Spencer, Iowa, Melodee (Tito) Mendez of Englewood, Colorado and Marge (Sid) Roskens of Spencer, Iowa; grandchildren, Carrie (Mark Cole) Beck of Spencer, Iowa, Naomi (Jason Ahlers) Tietjen of Harrisburg, South Dakota, Nathaniel (Chelsea Knephoff) Wolthuis of Spencer, Iowa, Kevin (Molly) Hintz, of Milford, Iowa, Nicole Hintz of Mankato Minnesota, Todd (Vicki) Roskens of North Liberty, Iowa, Deb (Lyon) Anderson of Johnson, Kansas, Jennifer (Shane) Halbur of Milford Iowa, Erica (Scott) Brown of Aurora, Colorado, Jillian (William Evans) Origer of Riverside, Iowa, Melissa (Aaron) Sedey of Delano, Minnesota, Hope (Spencer) Knierim of San Antonio, Texas, Charlee (Chris) Davis of Centennial, Colorado, Cheryl Morton of Peterson, Iowa, Tabetha Gillette of Spencer, Iowa, Clare (Nate Cooper) Huntress of Iowa City, Iowa, and Brady Huntress of Milwaukee, Wisconsin; 39 great-grandchildren, and 3 great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Wilda (Willy) Wetherell of Peterson, Iowa; aunts, Betty Miller of Emmetsburg, Iowa and Elaine Manke of Coon Rapids, Minnesota; many other relatives and friends.

Preceding her in death are her husband, Richard; parents, Clarence and Thelma Nelson; brother, Clarence Junior; son, Bertram Bradley Beck; grandsons, Todd Beck, Brian Beck and Paul Richard Hintz; brothers-in-law, Lionel Huntress, Jack Johnson, Roger Huntress and Ray (Slim) Wetherell; sisters-in-law, Dortha Johnson and Ruth Huntress.

The family would like to thank the staff of Spencer Post Acute Rehabilitation Center, and St. Croix Hospice for their kindness and care over the years.