Arla Ites, age 80, of Buffalo Center passed away Wednesday September 5 at Mayo Hospital in Albert Lea, MN.

Services will be held 2:00 PM Sunday, September 9 , 2012 at The First Reformed Church in Buffalo Center with Pastor Bill Peake officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church. Burial will be at Olena Mound Cemetery in Buffalo Center. Arla watched the sunrise in her heavenly home Wednesday, September 5, 2012 after suffering a sudden heart attack in her home.

Arla Mildred Johnson was a Christmas baby born to Jake and Ruth Johnson on December 23, 1931 in Buffalo Center. She was the youngest of three children with sister Dorothy and brother Don. She attended Grant #4 Country School south of town and later graduated from Buffalo Center High School with the class of 1949. Arla became a member of First Reformed Church in Buffalo Center in 1947. After high school Arla took her first job at the soil conservation office in Thompson, where she worked for 9 years.

On June 30, 1959 Arla Johnson married Marvin Ites at the First Reformed Church in Buffalo Center. They lived briefly in town before moving to a farm southeast of Buffalo Center, where they raised the typical Iowa produce of hogs, cows, chickens and crops. Arla enjoyed her role as farm wife and then mother to Duane (1961) and Karen (1964). Marvin and Arla enjoyed several years with friends and family. Her children have fond memories of the mens quartet. (Marvin sang and Arla accompanied). They rehearsed in their living room! Arla sang many duets with Marvin as well as singing in the church choir. Duane and Karen remember card club friends and the playfulness of their parents in their joyful Christian home.

In 1972, Marvin passed away suddenly at age 50 while working on the farm. Life changed drastically as the kids' grandma, Ruth Johnson moved in to help and keep house for the family. Arla had told her brother “as long as grandma and the kids get along, we want grandma to stay with us.” She remained with their family from that day until her death at the age of 93 in 1999.

In 1979, Arla became a “working mother” and took a job as a typesetter with the Buffalo Center Tribune. She remained at the local paper through the addition of technology and can proof read like no other! She retired from the paper staff in 2002 and has enjoyed retirement at home. She loved spending time with her children and grandchildren, coffee with her brother Don and especially celebrating all holidays with sit down dinners, arguments about what programs to watch on her 1 TV, games of Lincoln Logs and Checkers and batches of wonderful varieties of homemade fudge.

Arla and her family were recently all together for Labor Day weekend in Spirit Lake.

Arla M. Ites is preceded in death by her parents Jake and Ruth (Balvance) Johnson, her husband Marvin, her sister Dorothy (Johnson) Bader, brother-in-law Bob Bader and niece Diana Bader.

Left cherishing her love, legacy and fond memories are her son Duane (Sally) Ites of Spirit Lake, IA, daughter Karen (Duane) Carstens of Hampton, IA. Her grandchildren Andrew and Carly Ites, and Chris and Stephanie Carstens. Brother Don (Crystal) Johnson, niece Sheryl Johnson, nephew Eldon Johnson, aunt Edna Balvance and several cousins.