Kenna Jean Rasko Danford Kenna Jean Danford passed away at the age of 59 on Monday, April 28, 2014, at Westview Care Center, Indianola, Iowa, of kidney failure following a long illness. Services for Kenna Jean Danford will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 1, at Overton Funeral Home, Indianola, Iowa. Visitation will be held with the family prior to the service, beginning at 6:00 p.m. Kenna was born on May 10, 1954 in Des Moines, Iowa, to Kenneth Warren and Ruth Pauline Chelar Rasko. The family lived in Indianola, and Kenna grew up with older brothers Frank and David, and younger sister Josephine. After graduation from Indianola High School, Kenna earned her Licensed Practical Nursing degree and entered the nursing field. She started her career as an emergency room nurse at Lutheran Hospital. In the 1970s she worked with Central Iowa's first board-certified cardiologist, Dr. David Gordon at Cardiology Associates and continued with Drs. Gordon, L.A. Iannone, Thomas Brown and William Wickemeyer in the new Iowa Heart Center. She was involved as they pioneered coronary angioplasty and cardiac surgery. She went on to work at Mercy Hospital, both in the Cardiac Surgical Intensive Care Unit (CSICU) and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where she loved caring for preemies and supporting their families. In the later years of her nursing career, Kenna worked at Mercy Clinics. For over five years during that time, she, Danny, Matt and Jake purchased and individually wrapped hundreds of Little Golden Books for her to distribute to needy children at the clinic during the holiday season. Kenna was always on call for family health questions, injuries, and illnesses. She was willing to drive to Indianola to put a hand on a nephew's feverish brow, consult on the need for stitches, and calm nervous parents with her gentle voice and expert advice. No matter their age or their care needs, Kenna's patients and their families benefited from her kind and compassionate spirit, extensive knowledge, skill, and dedication to their comfort and well-being. She was well-respected by doctors and nurses alike, had many friends in the medical profession, and enjoyed, on occasion, getting away to take a break at Sambetti's after a stressful day. Kenna's understanding of medical science and practices was beautifully balanced with a love of nature, her pets, and an artistic flair that stretched from drawing, when she was a young girl, to the making of elaborate arts and crafts with her sons. She was a perfectionist when it came to writing, and a note from Kenna was gorgeous, her slanted strokes formed calligraphy-like letters that made the message extra special. Kenna and Danny played thousands of games of Cribbage around the kitchen table, and both would say she won quite often. They enjoyed visiting and laughing, water skiing, fishing, boating, going out to eat, and slipping away for a rare trip to Prairie Meadows. Kenna attended Center Chapel and First United Methodist Church. She married Danny Danford on March 26, 1982 at First United Methodist Church in Indianola. Later Kenna converted to Catholicism. Jean and Danny loved babies and their pride and joy was their two boys, Matthew Daniel, born June 6, 1983, and Jacob Kenneth, born May 25, 1989. From a young age, Matt and Jake were taught to give, and each year at Christmas time they cruised the aisles of a dollar store and picked out and wrapped useful gifts for each family member at the Rasko Christmas. The family was active and enjoyed the years that Matt and Jake were attending school at Saint Anthony Catholic Church and Dowling High School. Jean loved the band, and didn't miss a performance. She especially enjoyed showing off her boys at the annual pancake breakfast where she and Danny could bring the relatives to hear the band and see the wonderful family of parents at Dowling. It was a proud day for Kenna when Jake married Amanda Coleman on August 27, 2011 at The Bloomfield United Methodist Church in Des Moines. Soon after Jake and Amanda's wedding, Kenna's health failed badly, but she was able to meet and hold both granddaughters, Madison Joy, born July 25, 2012, and Ava Mae, born March 28, 2014. Kenna enjoyed fish sandwiches and French fries and made delicious homemade pizza, beautiful salads and pistachio cakes. She loved to remember childhood stories of camping trips, family vacations, and sibling fun. She loved country music and movies, with Brother Where Art Thou being a favorite. Long lunches with good conversation made her smile, and funny jokes moved her from giggles to laughing out loud. She could relax on a deck for hours watching the water and the ducks and the ground squirrels. She loved all shades of the color blue, and after years of working nights at the hospital, she loved long naps. Kenna is survived by her husband Danny; sons, Matt and Jake (Amanda); and granddaughters, Madison and Ava, all of Des Moines. She is also survived by her mother, Ruth; siblings, Frank (Barbara), David (Debbie), and Josephine Rasko, all of Indianola; Rasko nephews, Nathan, Indianola, Aaron (Kim, Logan and Olivia), Indianola, Don (Jamie, Canaan, Georgia and Eliott), Ankeny, and Devin (daughters, Ehlana and Laurelle), West Des Moines. Kenna was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth, who died December 9, 1989, and Grandparents Opal and E.P. Swarthout from Ackworth, Iowa, and Mathew and Nellie Chelar, from Hiteman and Albia, Iowa. Father Ray Higgens will officiate at the memorial service, Thursday, May 1st, at 7:00 p.m. at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola. The family will greet visitors at 6:00 p.m. prior to the service. Memorials may be made in Kenna Jean Rasko Danford's name to Nursing Alumni Association General Scholarship Fund at Mercy Foundation to Mercy College of Health Sciences. Online condolences may be made at www.overtonfunerals.com.