Donald "Donnie" Sickles

Donald “Donnie” Sickles, 79, of Marshalltown, Iowa, passed away on the afternoon of Friday, September 24, 2021 at the Iowa River Hospice Home surrounded by his loving family. A celebration of life for Donnie will be held on Wednesday, September 29, 2021 at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home from 6:00-8:00 P.M. Memorials may be directed to the family for a later designation. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Donald and his family. Donald Robert Sickles was born May 14, 1942 to Fred and Jessie (Bolsinger) Sickles in Iowa City, Iowa. He was one of eight children. Donnie grew up in Lansing, Iowa until age 10 when his family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In 1964, Donnie was united in marriage to the love of his life Rita Kay Martin. The two then moved to Marshalltown, Iowa and started a family of their own.He worked for a number of companies over the years doing plaster work when he would retire after a 41 year career. In his free time, Donnie enjoyed hunting, fishing, working on his flower and vegetable gardens, enjoying what nature had to offer tinkering with projects around the house, going garage saling and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes. He was especially proud of his 9 grandchildren. Those left to remember and cherish his memory are his wife of 56 years, Rita Kay Sickles; his children, Donna (Cheryl Crumley) Sickles, Bob (Jenny) Sickles, and John (Lori) Sickles; his grandchildren, Josh, Miakayla, Austin, Sarah, Eric, Emily, Molly, Shayla, and Becca; his siblings, Ray Sickles, Daemond Sickles, Shirley (Leroy) Olsen, and Florence Brown; as well as numerous extended family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, Fred and Jessie Sickles; his son, Donald “Donnie” Jr; and his siblings, Doris Mulholland, Cletus Sickles, and Merle Sickles.