Lucille “Lucy” Florence Harkin Morinelli died Sunday, April 12, at The Village in Indianola, Iowa.

Lucy was born at home on July 23, 1939, in Cumming, Iowa, to Daniel and Mary (McCusker) Harkin, as the tenth of 15 children. Lucy attended grade school in the two-room school house in Cumming and graduated from Norwalk High School.

Lucy lived in Omaha, Nebraska, for many years, working in finance and in later years volunteering at an adult daycare.

She married Fred Morinelli in Omaha, on her birthday in 1977. One of Lucy’s greatest joys was helping to raise her young stepdaughter, Christine. She also cherished the time she spent with her grandchildren. Fred and Lucy were a devoted couple until Fred’s passing in 1987.

Lucy maintained an active circle of friends in Omaha, with activities including golfing, polka, and square dancing. She enjoyed traveling, and visited Italy, Germany, Poland, Ireland, and several locations throughout the U.S. A devoted Catholic, she also visited religious sites, including the Shrine of Our Lady of Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005, Lucy moved back to the Des Moines area to be closer to her siblings and extended family. She lived in Johnston until January 2022.

Lucy was a one-of-a-kind spirit, with a strong faith, a love for family, and a fondness for the finer things in life. She had a weakness for sweets and a gift for silliness.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Fred; her parents; brothers, Daniel, Eugene, Harold, Raymond, Paul (“Tony”), Dennis, Martin, and Edward Harkin; sisters, Ruth Bishop, Marilyn Hartshorn, Clare Neff, and Margaret Seymour, and great-grandson, Ty Sargent.

Lucy is survived by her stepchildren, Christine (David) Shearer, Fred (Gloria) Morinelli, Jr., Dianne (Michael) Laferla, and Donna Cox; grandchildren, Marisa Jones, Laurel Safreed, Lia Larson, Andrea Morinelli, Ted Neneman, Christine Paulson, Eric Ward, and Helen Wachter; three great-grandchildren; siblings, Richard (Ricky) Harkin and Rena King; brother-in-law, Earl Seymour; sister-in-law, Dona Harkin; and many nieces, nephews, and extended family members.

Lucy’s family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the nursing staff at The Willows and Wesley Life Hospice in Indianola for their compassionate care and support.

The family will hold a visitation 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at St. John the Apostle Catholic Church in Norwalk, Iowa. A Funeral Mass will follow at 11 a.m. The burial will follow at St. John Cemetery in Cumming, with a luncheon afterwards.