Rozella “Lolly” Mae Bannister, 77, of Mt. Pleasant, went home to rest with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on May 5th, 2024 while at her home surrounded by family. She was born September 25, 1946 at Memorial Hospital, Mt. Pleasant, to Willie and Helen Roth Beachy of Olds. She was a 1964 graduate of WACO High School. After graduation she attended Heston College in Kansas for a year and then worked as a medical transcriber at University Hospitals in Iowa City. She moved back to Mt. Pleasant after her father passed away and worked as a waitress at the Starlight Cafe, while her mother was manager of the Starlight Motel. That is where she met her future husband, Edward Charles Bannister, as he stayed at the motel and ate at the Cafe every morning while working construction on a natural gas pipeline. He asked where a guy could get a good meal on a Sunday, and she told him that if he went to church, he could have dinner with them, so that is what happened. On October 9th, 1971 they were married in Mt. Pleasant. For a majority of Lolly’s career, she kept books and did other accounting work for various companies such as Millard/Shook Insurance, Motorola, and Innovaire to name a few. She lived in New London from the end of 1978 until 1995 before transferring to Rockford, IL when Motorola relocated. While in New London she raised her family and was an active member of the New London Christian Church (NLCC). In 2007 she moved back to Iowa in rural Mt. Pleasant, just south of Trenton, to be closer to family. She enjoyed cooking, playing various games and spending time with all of her family. Besides her husband Ed, she is survived by her daughter Jami Boles of Mt. Pleasant; son Robert (Amy) Bannister of Ames; step-daughter Tracy (Stephen) Hoffman of Marietta/Tybee Island, Georgia; nine grandchildren, Mitch (Kristen), Levi & Alisha Boles; Quentin & Jayden Bannister; Tristan (Summer) Miller, Connor, Brian and Morgan Hoffman; one great grandchild, Carson Boles; three brothers Gerri (Connie) Beachy of Middlebury, Indiana; Loren (Mary Ann) Beachy of Mt. Pleasant; and Roy (Janet) Beachy of Kalona; and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.
The funeral service for Lolly will be held at 10:00 AM, Monday May 13th at NLCC with Pastors Rod and Nathan Cooper officiating. Following the service, a traditional Mennonite fellowship meal will be held at NLCC. Private family burial of her cremains will be held at Sugar Creek Cemetery, rural Wayland, at a later date. The family will greet friends from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Elliott Chapel, New London, on Sunday May 12th. We ask that memorial gifts be given to EveryStep hospice (everystep.org) in Lolly’s name to continue to aid the amazing and loving work they provide. Online condolences may be left at www.elliottfuneralchapel.com.