J. Arlene Peiffer, age 86, of Fairfield, Iowa, formerly of Washington, Iowa, died Tuesday, June 25, 2013 in the care of Mercy Hospice in Iowa City, Iowa after a short illness.

Mass of the Resurrection will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, June 29, 2013 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fairfield, Iowa with Father Stephen Page officiating. Visitation will begin noon Friday at the Jones Eden Funeral Home where the family will receive friends from 4:00 until 8:00 p.m. Friday evening. Interment will take place at the Clear Creek Cemetery in rural Harper, Iowa. Memorials have been established for the Richland Public Library or St. Mary's Catholic Church. Online condolences may be sent for Arlene's family through the web at www.jonesfh.com

Arlene was born January 5, 1927 in Wellman, Iowa the daughter of Glen Laurence and Ethel Vearle (Tracy) Dutton. She grew up and lived in the Richland community, and she graduated from Richland High School in 1945. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Parson College in Fairfield in 1949. Arlene was united in marriage to Edward J. Hammes on September 6, 1949 in Sigourney, Iowa. They were married until Edward's death in 1980. She was later married to Edwin John Peiffer on August 7, 1982 in Washington, Iowa.

Arlene was proud to be a farm wife. She attended St. Mary's Catholic Church in Fairfield, Iowa. She was a former member of St. James Catholic Church. She was a member of the VFW Auxiliary, the American Legion Auxiliary, the Whiteway Club, and the Prairie Painters Club. She was also a member of the Altar and Rosary Society at Mother Cabrini Catholic Church in Richland, Iowa.

Arlene loved china painting. She enjoyed her garden and flowers, and she loved reading. She loved animals, especially her dog Susie. She enjoyed spending time outdoors. Arlene was a great ballroom dancer and she loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Arlene is survived by daughter-in-law Rosemary Hammes of Richland, Iowa; daughter Jean Anne Semsch and husband Jay of Stockton, Iowa; daughter Catherine Lynn Greiner and husband Tony of Keota, Iowa; son Pat Hammes and wife Tracy of Batavia, Iowa; eleven grandchildren; and thirteen great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her first husband, Edward Hammes in 1980; her second husband, Edwin Peiffer in 2006; son John Hammes in 2012; great-grandson Asher Grimm in 2011; two infant brothers; half-brother Harold Dutton and half-sister Eloise Beehler.