Mary Ellen Kimball biography: 13 things about Osceola, Iowa pilot

Who was Mary Ellen Kimball?

Mary Ellen Kimball was an American artist from Osceola, Clarke County, Iowa, United States. She was 2 years younger than her husband Dr. James David Kimball.

While James worked as a physician and served a civic leader, Mary was active in arts and cultural affairs across Iowa. They played prominent roles in the economic development of Osceola.

Both James and Mary were licensed pilots. She was a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), the Iowa Aviation Promotion Group (IAPG), the Women in Aviation International (WAI) and the 99s Women Pilots.

Mary was a nursing student and James was in medical school when they first met. They have two sons together namely Jeffrey Deur Kimball and Joseph “Joe” Kimball.

After James served in the military and practiced medicine across the U.S., he moved to Osceola in 1968 with Mary, Jeffrey and Joe. Here are 13 more things about her:

1. In July 1963, she gave birth to Jeffrey.
2. In June 1968, she gave birth to Joe.
3. In 1981, the Lions International and Rotary International Clubs honored her with the Community Service award for her contribution as a community promoter in Osceola.
4. On June 30, 1987, her term as a member of the Supreme Court of Iowa’s grievance commission ended.
5. On January 14, 2000, her mother-in-law Maxine McPherson Kimball died at the Clarke County Hospital in Osceola at age 85.
6. On August 19, 2010, she was honored at the 2010 Iowa State Fair as an Iowan of the Day by the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation and Cookies Food Products. 
7. In 2020, she was the recipient of the Iowa Governor’s Arts Legacy Award.
8. On June 30, 2021, her term as a member of the Iowa Arts Council ended.
9. She was one of the decorators of The Smithsonian Traveling Museum, which opened in Osceola in November 2021.
10. In September 2022, she flew five Clarke County girls in her Cessna 150 airplane at the Osceola Municipal Airport where she gave them a free, introductory airplane ride in celebration of Girls in Aviation Day.
11. In November 2024, she turned 83.
12. On December 17, 2024, she and James were found wounded inside their residence in Osceola. He died in a hospital in Des Moines, Iowa later that day.
13. At around 8:10 p.m. on December 20, 2024, she was declared dead of a gunshot wound.