Obituaries : Laura Townsend-Edler

Laura Townsend-Edler, 55, of Gladbrook, Iowa, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 18, 2020, at Grundy County Memorial Hospital in Grundy Center, Iowa. Memorial services will be at 11 a.m. Monday, Nov. 23, at Anderson Funeral Homes in Marshalltown, Iowa. Visitation will be 10 a.m. until the time of the services. Due to concerns regarding COVID-19, the family encourages the use of Anderson Funeral Homes livestream to view the service. The link will be able to be accessed off of the Anderson Funeral Homes Facebook page at the time of the service. Anderson Funeral Homes in Marshalltown has been entrusted with the arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.andersonfhs.com.
Laura was born Aug. 14, 1965, to Henry and Mary Margaret (Finn) Townsend in Anamosa, Iowa. She graduated from Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School in 1983. She, later on, went to the University of Iowa for a few years when she decided to change majors. She attended Kirkwood Community College where she earned her BSN in Psychiatric Nursing. Laura was united in marriage to her best friend, Doug Edler, on June 4, 1994, in Atkins, Iowa. In 1994 they moved to upstate New York where she worked as a psychiatric nurse. Doug and Laura moved back to Iowa in 1997, where she specialized in Hospice and elder care. You could always catch Laura cheering on her kids at all their 4-H, FFA and sporting events. In recent years, she enjoyed spoiling her grandchildren. She always had unconditional love for her family and friends while her smile lit up the room.
Left to cherish her memories are her loving husband, Doug Edler of Gladbrook; children, DaLeea (Chris) Gahring of Urbana, Iowa, Dustin (Gina) Edler of Vinton, Iowa, Dawn Edler of Vinton, Iowa, Andrew Townsend of Kansas City, Mo., Courtney Sweeney of Urbana, Iowa, Margaret "Meg" (Alex Schick) Edler of Ames, Iowa, and John Edler of Cedar Falls, Iowa; five grandchildren: Caiden Gahring, Bella Edler, Brianna Edler, Betty Edler and Paul Birker; one brother, Gary (Coleen) Townsend of Mechanicsville, Iowa; and sister, Karen (Jerry) Kiburz of Scotch Grove, Iowa.
She was preceded in death by her parents and three siblings, Linda Boots, Joe Townsend and Galen Townsend.