Redman
Leon
Jane Ann Redman, age 80, of Leon, the daughter of Robert Calvin and Helen Louise (Richards) Cooley, was born June 26, 1945, at Leon in Decatur County. She passed from this life on May 10, 2026, in her Leon home.
Jane grew up on the site of the old Clarke County farm outside of Osceola. She attended school in Osceola. After graduating from high school in 1963, she worked in a law office in Des Moines. One evening she saw a handsome guy, Davey Redman, driving around the Osceola square in a hot car. They met, dated and then married on Feb. 17, 1968. They purchased a farm north of Decatur where they made their home and raised their family. They were blessed with three children: stillborn infant Ross, Christopher and then Sarah.
I n 1984, after the children were both in upper elementary, Jane started working at the school. Over the next 20 years, she worked at both the Decatur building and South Elementary helping countless children. She retired in 2004.
Davey and Jane left the farm in 2000 and moved into Leon. Jane loved living in town where she could enjoy all the happenings of town. She was a very social person, loved having fun and never missed a party, especially with her closest friends: JoBeth Smith, Teresa Mathews, Teresa Gentry, Terre Acheson and Cheryl Zach.
She was an active member of the Leon Country Club. She loved her flowers and decorating her home and yard. Christmas was her favorite holiday, but she also loved the 4th of July, where she attended three or four parades during the day. She enjoyed the company of her two cats Lucy and Ethel.
Preceding her in death were her parents; husband Davey in 2022; son Ross and brother and his wife Jack and Rosemary “Rosie” Cooley.
Survivors include her children Chris and Karyn Redman of Kissimmee, Florida, and Sarah and Todd Middleton of Shawnee, Kansas; grandchildren Kaitlyn and Emily; two great-grandchildren Brooks and Brantley Morris; many nieces and nephews and other relatives and friends.
Funeral services were held at the Slade - O’Donnell Funeral Home in Leon, Iowa at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 19 with burial following in the Leon Cemetery. A memorial fund has been established by the family.
