Iona Dannelley Gutierrez was born May 21, 1926 to A.O, and Georgia Dannelley. She was the fourth of five children and is preceded in death by her parents and brothers: Tom, Clyde and John Dannelley; and sister, Marie Dannelley Long. She is survived by her son, Harry Maxwell Friske of Katy, Texas; grandson, Wesley Maxwell Friske; and great-grandson, Logan Maxwell Friske of Nixa, Missouri.

Iona attended high school in Mirando City, Texas and thereafter attended Nursing School at Breckenridge in Austin, TX. After becoming a Registered Nurse, she relocated to south Texas where she lived for much of her life, working in hospitals, private practice and several government agencies, completing her working days serving several years at the Veterans Administration in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Shortly after retiring from the Veterans Administration, she relocated to Belton, Texas with her husband Marciano Gutierrez where she lived for many years, continuing to reside there after his death in the early 2000s. She had many friends in Belton with whom she enjoyed various games of dominoes and cards, often convening them on an extemporaneous basis. She attended the Church of Christ wherever she lived and enjoyed singing with the congregation. She also had great enjoyment attending the more or less annual family reunions.

In 2010, she relocated to Katy, Texas to be closer to her son and lived a healthy and independent life until she suffered a broken shoulder in 2021 and thereafter had a series of medical events which made her life less enjoyable, until the time of her death.

A graveside service for Iona will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, March 13th, 2026 at the Florence City Cemetery. She will be laid to rest next to her husband Dr. Marciano Gutierrez. Patrick Hammack of Gabriel Oaks Church of Christ will be presiding.