Galen Wait

Galen Wait, 82, longtime Marshalltown school teacher, died Friday morning, December 9, at the Iowa River Hospice House in Marshalltown. Private services will be held this week at St. Pauls Episcopal Church with Rev. Mary Jane Oakland officiating. He will be laid to rest with his beloved Florence in the Marietta Cemetery. There will be no visitation. The Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Galen and his family. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Ph. 641-844-1234. Born on June 8, 1929, in Waverly, Iowa, he was the son of Roy and Eva (McRoberts) Wait. He graduated from the Waverly High School and soon entered into his chosen profession of teaching by receiving his Masters degree from Greeley State in Greeley, Colorado. He taught in the rural Colorado schools and returned to his home state to teach in Marshalltown. Galen taught at Rogers School and soon met the lovely Florence Henrichs. The two were united in marriage in 1959. Galen retired from teaching after 42 years of dedication in 1991. He was a member of the St. Paul Episcopal Church, Retired School Teachers Association, Mid-Iowa Workshops (serving as board president), Classic Chevy International, AARP, Marshall County Teachers Association and was the recipient of the Distinguished Teacher of the Year in 1980. Left to cherish his memory are his children: Jonathan Wait of Marshalltown, George (Candy) Wait of Union, Kemery (Chrystal) Wait of Englewood, Colorado; his grandchildren-Kemery Wait, II, Paul Jo Wait, Levi Wait (and his son Liam), Toni Wait (her son Brock), Collette Wait (her daughter Lillyann ), and Lukas Wait, sister Josephine (Ray) Mehman of Waverly, daughter-in-law Kathy Snider of Marshalltown, and Tyler Heatherington- a family friend Galen was especially proud of as well as nieces, nephews, friends and former students who learned greatly from his passion of teaching. In death, he rejoined his beloved Florence, his parents and siblings- Evelyn, LuAnn and James.