Underwood, Mark - 1947-2021

MADILL, RUSLEY, UNDERWOOD, VAN GUNDY

Posted By: Diana Wagner
Date: 2/19/2023 at 06:33:10

Mark Underwood, 73, of Marshalltown, died on January 6, 2021, at Southridge Nursing Home in Marshalltown. Funeral service at the Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell. Burial in Hickory Grove Cemetery in Jasper County, west of Newburg.
Memorial contributions may be designated to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Marshalltown or Michael J. Fox Foundation, for Parkinson’s research.
Mark was born on August 19, 1947, in West Union, Iowa, the son of Emory A. and Evelyn R. Rusley Underwood. He was raised in several different communities in northern Iowa. He was a 1965 graduate of South Hamilton High School in Jewell and continued his education at Hamilton Business College in Mason City.
He was a member of the Iowa National Guard during the Vietnam War and was discharged in 1974, after serving his country for eight years, as Staff Sergeant.
On August 9, 1969, he married Carolyn L. Madill, in Newburg, Iowa. The couple lived in Marshalltown where they raised their two children.
Mark was employed for nearly 42 years at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown as a Storekeeper and Quartermaster. During this time, he was also employed for 26 years at the Marshalltown YMCA. Everybody enjoyed his friendly smile. He retired in 2011.
Mark was a member of the Marshalltown Trinity Lutheran Church and the Marshalltown American Legion.
Mark was an incredibly kind, loving, patient, and gentle man, who held a strong faith in God, never complained, and always thought of others before himself. His thoughtfulness was equaled only by his hard-working nature, holding two jobs for many years to support his family, who he adored – especially his granddaughter, Allison. His quiet and humble example will be deeply missed by his family,
Survivors include his wife, Carolyn of Marshalltown; two children, Robert (Laura) Underwood of Louisville, Kentucky, and Andrea (James) Van Gundy of Des Moines; and one granddaughter, Allison Underwood of Louisville.
He was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, and several aunts and uncles.
Source: Smith Funeral Home, Grinnell, Iowa