March 2, 1926 - November 28, 2024
A funeral service for Roscoe will be held Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, at 11 a.m. at the Burt Presbyterian Church with Pastor Kent Madison officiating. The service will be livestreamed on the Burt Presbyterian Facebook Page. Burial will be in Portland Township Cemetery in rural Burt. His family will greet friends from 9:30 until service time at the church.
Roscoe Irving Mawdsley Jr., age 98, of Burt, passed away peacefully at his home on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28, 2024. He was born on March 2, 1926, in Algona, the firstborn son of Roscoe Sr. and Delia Mae (Robison) Mawdsley. Roscoe graduated from Algona High School in 1943 and attended Iowa State University for the winter term in agriculture. On April 25, 1948, he was united in marriage to Evelyn Becker at the Burt Presbyterian Church. He brought her to the Mawdsley family farm to live and it was there they raised their three sons.
Roscoe was a lifelong member of the Burt Presbyterian Church, serving as Sunday School Superintendent for a number of years and Clerk of Session 43 years. Also, for 43 years he, together with Evelyn, shared his testimony at churches and distributed Bibles with the Gideons International Organization, holding offices of president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and church assignment secretary. Roscoe was also a trustee member of the Plum Creek Township and served on the Burt Public School Board for six years.
Roscoe’s life revolved around farming, family and faith. He was a successful farmer with a strong work ethic, rising early in the morning to do work on the farm and, at certain times, staying up late to check on calves, lambs, farrowing sows and baby pigs. On many occasions he would bounce up the stairs two steps at a time to wake up his sons with a cheerful, “Rise and shine, boys!” He was the meticulous record keeper of the Mawdsley family farm operation. Not surprisingly, a little notebook of farm records took up residence in the upper pocket of his overalls. He could pull it out at any time to give a report.
Throughout his life, Roscoe’s immediate family, extended family and those he knew within the family of God were important to him. His smile was frequent and always friendly. Although he was a man of few words, his life spoke volumes. He proclaimed faithfulness and trustworthiness in every area of his life. By his lifestyle, he instilled into his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren the values of hard work, discipline, integrity, honesty and faith in God.
Faith was undoubtedly the most significant part of Roscoe’s life. He committed his life to Jesus Christ as a young man and he lived his faith, both in public and at home. It was a rare Sunday that Roscoe wasn’t sitting in his usual spot at church. Even this last year, in a wheelchair, there were many Sunday mornings you’d find him there. When he wasn’t able to attend, he knew exactly which channel and what time he and Evelyn’s “church” programs were on TV. He pushed the right buttons on the remote and they watched together. Throughout the years, prior to one of the meals at the kitchen nook with his family, prayer and Bible reading were often included. Roscoe was a humble man who sought to give honor to God rather than to himself. Psalm 50:23 says, “He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me.” It seems fitting that the day he left this earth for heaven was Thanksgiving Day. Roscoe rarely forgot to say thank you to people and to His Lord.
Left to cherish Roscoe’s memory are his three sons, Mark (Colleen) Mawdsley of Madrid, Michael (Cindy) Mawdsley of Algona, and Merrill Mawdsley of Burt; six grandchildren, Matt Mawdsley, Tim (Lisa) Mawdsley, Missy (Bob) Brown, Chrissy (Matt) Weiss, Melinda (Ryan) McConnell and Scott Mawdsley; twelve great-grandchildren; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and Laura Hanson, his loving, faithful and selfless caregiver over the last few years, who, along with Merrill, Roscoe’s son, made it possible for him to live at home in the same farmhouse his entire life.
Preceding him in death are his wife, of 75 years, Evelyn; his parents; stepmother June Mawdsley; brother Duane (Marjorie) Mawdsley, sister Dolores Mawdsley; siblings-in-law, Rachel (Thees) Schnakenberg, George (Dorothy) Becker, Frank (Virginia) Becker and Harold (Viola) Becker.