Mardean Blocker, 74, of Waterloo, died at Allen Memorial Hospital on Sunday, September 11, 2011.

Mardean Joyce Burkhart was born November 23, 1936, in Benton County, Iowa, the daughter of Donald and Lillian Bauer Burkhart.

Mardean graduated from Garrison High School in 1954 and then attended Allen Hospital School of Nursing where she received her Registered Nurse Certification in 1957.

Mardean married Harold F. Blocker August 17, 1957 in La Porte City, Iowa. In 1959, during Harold’s time in the service, she worked at Junction City Hospital in Junction City, Kansas. She began working at Schoitz Memorial Hospital in 1961 and retired from Covenant Medical Center in 2002.

Mardean and Harold started camping with their children in 1968 and enjoyed traveling, camping and time with the family for many years. She loved quilting, hardanger embroidery, cross-stitching, and all sorts of hand work. Harold and she spent winters in Mesa, Arizona for 17 years and developed many close friendships there with people from all over the United States and Canada.

Mardean is survived by her husband Harold; daughter Deborah Carthan of Park Forest, Illinois; son James Blocker of Ft. Dodge; son Robert Blocker of Woodbury, Minnesota; two grandchildren: Andrea and Nathan Blocker; sister Doris and her husband Linus Winter of Mt Auburn; and sister Karen McGuire of Arlington Heights, Illinois.

She is preceded in death by her parents, son-in-law Earnest Carthan and daughter-in-law Connie Blocker.