Tracie Rae Garbes Edelen, 35, of Clear Lake, IA and formerly of Charles City, IA, passed away Thursday, September 22, 2011 in a hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa following recent health complications.
Always striving to better herself professionally, Tracie obtained her Iowa Real Estate License and was a sales associate for Next Generation Realty and Hunziker & Associate Realtors in Ankeny. She sold several high-dollar homes in the area during 2005-2006. Tracie worked hard but also loved spending time with friends, her Dad, Susan and family, shopping, reading and traveling. She accompanied her Dad’s family on their yearly summer vacations and visited Fort Lauderdale several times when her mother lived there.
On June 3, 2006, Tracie was united in marriage to Michael Edelen. Tracie worked with Mike in his Ankeny construction business helping to design new homes and loved picking out the interior finishes. They had two Bichons named Chloe and Lilly who were the light of her life. In 2006, Tracie was employed by CBK, Ltd., a home décor/gift wholesale distributor, as the IA District Account Manager servicing 200 retail stores. She later worked from home taking a District Sales Manager position with Avon which entailed traveling extensively to the East Coast. Following their divorce, Tracie served as Marilyn’s Hallmark store manager in Altoona. She eventually hired her Mom and they both enjoyed working there together. In 2009, Tracie joined Barb and her friend Tom in Clear Lake and began working as a beauty consultant for Clinique cosmetics at Younkers, Mason City. Tracie felt she had finally found her ideal career! She loved fashion, sharing beauty tips, giving makeovers and the general camaraderie with her clients. Tracie began experiencing hip/leg pain and after several months, it was determined she had severe bone deterioration. In July 2010, she had double hip replacement at Rochester Methodist Hospital. No words can express the appreciation her family extends to her surgeon, Dr. Rafael J. Sierra, who made the surgery possible and provided her the opportunity to walk again. We thank the Mayo Clinic physicians, Drs. Patrick Loftus, Aravind Sugumar, R. C. Shields, and entire staff of the Mayo Clinic for all their concern and support throughout her many visits the past year and a half. Many thanks go to Rod Schlader and staff of Mason City Mercy Hospital for their help in receiving medical care locally. A special thank you goes to treating physician, Sue Mullenbach, P.A., for her never-ending tenacity and genuinely caring for her patient in need. On August 29th, Tracie was looking forward to a month-long trip to visit her special friend, Jerome Kisima (formerly from Mason City) and his family in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Tracie and Jerome exchanged vows in a small chapel on her 35th birthday, September 17. Five days later she was taken to the hospital where she died suddenly. Her parents and family are thankful knowing Tracie was happy the last few weeks of her life traveling to Africa, and that Jerome fulfilled one of her greatest life-long dreams of sharing her love and getting married.
Left to mourn her passing are her husband Jerome of Dar es Salaam; her parents Barbara Garbes of Clear Lake, and Roger (Susan) Garbes of Waverly; half-brother, Ryan Garbes, Iowa City; two step-brothers, Aaron (Kristin) Lentz, their children Abby, Cam and Brody of Louisville, CO; Patrick (Brittney) Lentz and their children Kollyn, Caleb and Lucas of Plainfield; paternal grandparents Raymond and Jeanette Garbes, Nashua; three aunts Linda Sue Baker and Debra (Tom) Clark of Osage, and Janice (Jeff) Edson, Nashua; uncle, Ron (Dawn) Garbes, Nashua; along with their extended families.
She was preceded in death by maternal grandparents Donna and Robert Bertelson, LeRoy Head, her aunt Jean (Garbes) Brown, and special family friend Tom Woodard.
Fullerton Hage Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 401 Blunt, Charles City, Iowa 50616. 641-228-4211 www.Fullertonfh.com Facebook.com/Fullertonfuneralhome
