Duane J. Garthwaite (1940-2019)

GARTHWAITE, BREMER, DAVIDSON

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 6/18/2019 at 20:28:22

Obituary for Duane John Garthwaite
Duane John Garthwaite, 78, of Marion, Iowa, passed away Sunday, June 16, 2019, surrounded by his family following a battle with cancer. A Visitation will be held from 5 – 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, 2019, at Murdoch Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Marion. A Funeral Service will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 20, 2019, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Oak Shade Cemetery, Marion.

Duane was born on October 19, 1940, in Dubuque, Iowa, to Elgie “Junior” and Agnes (Bremer) Garthwaite. He was raised in Glen Haven and Bloomington, Wisconsin. Duane graduated from Bloomington High School in 1958. He received his degree in Diesel Engineering from Milwaukee Vocational and Adult Schools in 1960. Duane served honorably in the United States Navy from 1963 to 1967, having served aboard the USS Hancock CVA-19. Following his military service, Duane moved to Hammond, Indiana, for work where he met and married the love of his life, Linda S. Davidson, on October 25th, 1969. Their union was blessed with three children: Thomas, Timothy and Theresa.

Duane lived the majority of his life in Marion, Iowa, and worked for machine shops in the area. His amazing work ethic, knowledge of machinery and vehicle structure impressed all those he worked with over the years. Duane was an avid fisherman, camper, classic car aficionado, music lover, restricted slots gambler ($20 limit per trip to the casino), mechanic, gardener, salsa maker, canning master and mushroom hunter. He was a proud United States Navy veteran that loved getting a “hit” on his USS Hancock hat when another military veteran would discuss their service with him while out and about in the community. Duane’s most important roles were that of loving husband, father, son, brother, uncle, grandpa, great grandpa and neighbor. He was the patriarch and foundation of a large and loving family.

Duane is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife of just shy of 50 years, Linda; children, Tom (Melissa) Garthwaite of Marion, Tim (Loni) Garthwaite of Marion, and Theresa (Saya) Garthwaite Sampanthan of Naperville, Illinois; eight grandchildren, Alissa, Emily, Owen, Johnathon, Jordan, Jessica, Oliver and Maxwell; step grandchildren, Curt and Hunter Reifschneider; several great grandchildren; sister, Mary (Vern Lahr) Weber; brother, Gary (Betty) Garthwaite; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother and best friend, Elgie W. Garthwaite; and sister-in-law Mary Pepper Garthwaite.

The family would like to extend appreciation to Dr. Rasa Buntinas and staff at PCI and Dr. Yogesh Jethava at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for their consistent care and support.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Duane’s memory may be made to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital or Eastern Iowa Honor Flight.