Marcia Lu Huemoeller, 84, of Dubuque, IA, formerly of Cross Plains, WI, passed away on Sunday, June 21, 2026, at Grand Meadows in Asbury, IA.

A visitation will be held on Saturday, June 27, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at Leonard Funeral Home and Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Rd. A funeral service will follow at 11:00 a.m.

Marcia was born on July 23, 1941, in Cedar Rapids, IA, the daughter of Daryl and Ramona (Shipley) Pendergraft. She graduated in 1959, from Teacher’s College High School in Cedar Falls, IA, she would go on to earn her bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1969, and her master’s degree from Iowa State University in 1981.

Marcia had a long and passionate career with Head Start beginning in 1974, in Waterloo, IA.  She is remembered as a visionary who developed the largest Head Start and Early Childhood Program in Wisconsin. She developed numerous programs that reached homeless and underserved communities, and she spearheaded a partnership with the school district to provide 4K to preschoolers. She was a true advocate for children and families. She later moved to Northeast Iowa to direct centers in Dubuque, Delaware, and Jackson counties. In 1986, Marcia became the Executive Director of Dane County Parent Council in Madison, WI, until her retirement in 2012.

After retiring Marcia could most often be found in her yard, where she spent countless hours planting flowers, trimming branches, pulling weeds, feeding the birds, and chasing off the squirrels. She loved being outdoors almost as much as she loved her big dogs, who were more like roommates than pets. She took them on long walks, sneaked them bites of steak, and held lengthy conversations with them about proper etiquette.

Although her son Scott and his family lived in the Kansas City area, Marcia called weekly for family updates. Once she discovered FaceTime, those calls became even more frequent. She cherished traveling with Scott’s family to Florida, Colorado, California, and many other places. She also made the long drive to Kansas with her dogs in tow, often staying a week or more to soak up time with her grandchildren, Taylor and Nick. Christmas will never be the same without seeing Grammy sitting there with a bow on her head.

Marcia loved to laugh, play games, talk about life, current events, and learn about the world. Most of all, she loved simply spending time with her family and friends, whether doing something special or nothing at all. She was also the biggest Wisconsin Badger’s football fan, holding season tickets and making all the games. She will be deeply missed by so many.

She is survived by her daughter, Ann (David) Snodgrass of Dubuque; son, Scott (Christie) Rogers of Shawnee, KS; grandchildren: Amanda Snodgrass-Brooks, Zach Furguson, Taylor (Hunter) Roberts and Nicholas Rogers; five great-grandchildren; sister, Mary Pendergraft of Mt Horeb, WI; along with many dear friends, and her furry companion Barkley.

Marcia is preceded in death by her parents.

In lieu of flowers a memorial fund has been established.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Grand Meadows for their amazing care and compassion for Marcia.