Obituary of Marvin E. Etheredge

Marvin E. Etheredge, 82 formerly of Iowa City, died Thursday, December 11, 2008, at a care center in McAllen, Texas. Marvin Edward Etheredge was born October 11, 1926, in Muscatine, Iowa the son of Edward D. and Dorothy (Armstrong) Etheredge. Their family moved to Seymour, Iowa then to Iowa City where Marvin attended City High School. During WWII he served aboard the U.S. Swearer (DE-186) in the United States Navy. In1947, he was united in marriage to Phyllis Burton; after service they returned to Iowa City. Together they had five sons and one daughter. Marvin worked for a number of local businesses, including Lenoch & Cilek; Frantz Construction; Earl Yoder Construction; and Arnie Bartels Construction. During this period, he enrolled and graduated from police academy in 1949. For over ten years he was a police officer with the Iowa City Police Department. He then purchased and operated Marv’s Tavern for the next ten years. From this he went to work at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City until retiring in 1988. Being divorced, he later married Diane Kennedy in 1981 and the couple lived in Coralville until 1991, when they moved to Mission, Texas. Here he resided until June of this year when he moved to a care center in McAllen. While living in Coralville, Marvin was a member of the Walter Johnson Post 721 of the American Legion, in Mission, Texas he was a member of the VFW Post 8788. His family includes his wife, Diane of Mission, TX; sons, Ed (Susan) of Florence, MA; Larry of Salinas, CA; Tom of Huntsville, AL; Rick (Jackie) of Kalona, IA; daughter, Barb (Dave) Wichmann of Homestead, IA; step-sons, Tracy (Sandy) Arnold of Des Moines and Jimmy (Holly) Arnold of Iowa City; step-daughters, Mindy Arnold and Teresa (Steve) Utterson both of Des Moines; 11 grandchildren, 10 step-grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, 4 step-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews. Marvin was preceded in death by his parents; a son, Gerald Allen Etheredge; brother and sister-in-law, Wilbur and Evelyn Etheredge. Family services will be held at a later date. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service of Iowa City is assisting Marvin’s family. Online condolences may be sent for his family through the web @ www.gayandciha.com.