Christine Freel

A celebration of life for Christine L. “Chris” Freel, 63, of Kalona, will be held Saturday, December 4, 2021, at 10:30 AM at the Kalona Mennonite Church. Burial will follow at the Sharon Hill Cemetery in Kalona. Visitation will be held from 1 – 7 PM Friday, December 3, at the Kalona Mennonite Church where the family will greet friends from 3 – 7 PM. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be given to the Kalona United Methodist Youth Group, Comfort Quilts for the Surgical and Neuroscience ICU or Feed The Kids. The Beatty Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting the family.

Christine Louise (Svoboda) Freel was born May 13, 1958, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the daughter of Anton “Tony” and Loretta (Harris) Svoboda. She graduated from Belle Plain High School. On September 8, 1979, she was united in marriage to Steven Freel in Wellman. Chris worked at the University of Iowa Hospital for over 35 years. She volunteered in many ways, including with the Children’s Miracle Network, Ronald McDonald House, the annual quilt days at the U of I Hospital, and helped create the comfort quilts program at the U of I Hospital. Through that program, along with the help of others, she quilted and donated over 600 quilts to provide support to families. Chris enjoyed spending time with her grandkids, traveling, sewing, quilting, and gardening.

Survivors include three children: Jared (Sara) Freel, Shanna (John) Hillier, Matthew (Julia) Freel all of Kalona, six grandchildren: Mason, Jax, Kamryn, Noah, Ascher and Maya, her mother Loretta Svoboda of Kalona, brother DeWayne (Holly) Svoboda of Cedar Rapids, sister-in-law Deb (Bob) Yoder of Kalona and brother-in-law Mike (Jan) Freel of Washington.

Preceding Chris in death was her father Tony, her husband Steve, and sister Michelle Wagner.