Edwin Harsha

Mr. Edwin Harsha, 92, of the Glenwood Place in Marshalltown, former longtime Baxter and Melbourne area farmer, died Wednesday night, December 31st, 2008, at his home while in the care of his family, Glenwood Place, and the Iowa Hospice.Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, January 8, 2009, at St. John United Church of Christ in Melbourne with Pastor Linda Schmidt officiating. Immediately following the services, all are invited to a time of fellowship and lunch in the church fellowship hall. He will be laid to rest in the Rose Hill Memorial Gardens in Marshalltown. Friends may call at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home from 6:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday evening. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Memorials may be directed to the St. John UCC or Iowa Hospice. The Mitchell Family Funeral Home has been caring for Edwin and his family. Born on February 24th, 1916, at Ira, Iowa, he was the son of LeRoy Frank and Mary Molly (Westbrook) Harsha. He attended Baxter Schools and graduated from the Baxter High School in 1934. On Christmas Day of 1937, he was united in marriage to Carolyn Pfile in Marshalltown. They farmed in the Baxter and Melbourne areas all of their lives until retiring to town in 1978. After his retirement, he enjoyed helping others with their work, whether it was shelling corn, combining, doing chores, assisting at auctions, or any odd jobs that needed to be completed. In July of 2004, they moved to the Glenwood Place in Marshalltown. He was a member of the St. John United Church of Christ in Melbourne- a building he helped construct, and the Melbourne Lions Club. He enjoyed bowling, baseball, horses, fishing, and friends and family.Left to cherish his memory are his children: Barbara (Marvin) Hawkins of Marshalltown, Lawrence Larry (Carol) Harsha of Pasadena, CA, two grandchildren: Craig (Audrey) Hawkins of Laurel and Dawn (Mark) Stallman of Des Moines, four great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren: Rudy, Caitlin, Harrison, Ritchina, Jared and Nicole, sister-in-law Mildred Heckert of Marshalltown and Mary Pfile of Baxter.In death, he has rejoined his parents; his beloved wife Carolyn, who passed away on May 17, 2008; his sister Oma Gardner; his brothers Wayne and Blaine Harsha; and his great-granddaughter, Grace Stallman.