BOONE, Iowa—Charlene Brice, age 80, of Boone, Iowa, passed away peacefully surrounded by her loved ones on April 16, 2026 at Dallas County Hospital in Perry, Iowa.
Charlene (Kruse) Brice was born to Eddie and Gladys (Engleen) Kruse on September 15, 1945 at Boone County Hospital.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Church in Boone and was united in marriage to Edward Brice on May 14th,1966.
Charlene graduated from Ogden High School in 1963. She attended the University of Missouri, St. Louis, graduating in 1967 with a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She taught 4th grade for four years in the St. Louis, Missouri area. Then, she took her charm, sense of humor and special talents for caring for people to Woodward Resource Center, Woodward, Iowa, where she worked for 25 years, and, most importantly, made many of her dearest and loving friends.
While fulfilling her many roles as a super mom for her family, she furthered her education with additional studies at Grand View College and graduate work where she earned her Master’s Degree in Special Education. All the while, always helping family and friends.
Charlene was a well-known character around central Iowa, with friends from all walks of life including her wonderful church and charity friends. She was ‘quick with a joke (and a light up your smoke’ in her 30s) and had several funny observations about situations or people in general. Because of this, some would say, she missed her calling as a stand-up comedian because she was very busy being the “matriarch” for sorts of the family members, as she was very charitable with a generous nature with her money, support, and her opinions and advice.
Charlene’s favorite hobbies included cooking, meals with friends, horses, travel, and watching Iowa State University and University of Iowa basketball. She increased her traveling after she retired in 2010, which made her a very frequent flyer, especially to Charlotte, North Carolina area to visit her daughters’ families. Her favorite trips were in recent years when she got to cross off some bucket list vacations, which included several Caribbean cruises, Hawaii, and Disney World with her family.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Eddie and Gladys, her husband, Edward, her sisters, Bonita “Bonnie” (Kruse) Kingsbury and Benita Kruse, her brother, Dennis, and her niece and best friend, Carleen Gunion. Charlene is survived by her three daughters Jennifer Brice of Boone, Iowa, Kathleen Brice and domestic partner Deric Townsend of Gastonia, North Carolina, and Julie (Brice) Farris and husband Russell Farris of Fort Mill, South Carolina. She is also survived by her granddaughter, Suki and grandson, Luther Brice-Townsend of Gastonia, NC, as well as nieces, nephews, and cousins.
There isn’t enough words to describe this tremendously “larger than life” human. We imagine she’s in heaven where she can “fix a Pepsi” and enjoy all the steak and baked potatoes she can eat…with butter and sour cream…. with “extra, extra butter” …
A visitation will be held Wednesday, April 22, 2026 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and a Rosary will be recited at 7:00 p.m., all at the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel, 1006 6th Street, Boone. The Funeral Mass will be Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., at the Church of the Sacred Heart, 915 12th Street, Boone, with Rev. Timothy Johnson officiating. Following the Mass, Charlene will be cremated. A private inurnment will be held at a later date at the Glenwood Cemetery in Ogden.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets in Boone. Online condolences may be left to Charlene’s family at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com.
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