Gerald L. Wolken

Gerald L. Wolken, 74, of rural Marshalltown, peacefully passed away at his home on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008, while in the care of his family and Iowa Hospice.A celebration of Geralds life will be 11:00 a.m. Saturday, October 18th at Trinity Lutheran Church of Dillon with Rev. Fred Berry officiating. Visitation will be 5-7 p.m. Friday at Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown. Gerald will be laid to rest in Dillon Cemetery. For condolences, please visit www.mitchellfh.com. Memorials may be directed to Marshall County Conservation Board Trust, or to the family. The Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Gerald and his family, phone 641-844-1234. Gerald, son of Charles and Mildred Wolken, was born in Marshalltown, IA on January 27, 1934. He attended rural school, one mile south of Dillon, for eight years, and graduated from Dunbar High School in 1951. He was a life-time member of Dillon Lutheran Church, where he was baptized, confirmed, and married. Gerald served on many church boards over the years and always had a special place in his heart for this little country church. Gerald proudly served his country in the United States Army from 1956-1958, spending 18 months at Camp Casey in Korea. On August 9th, 1959, he was united in marriage to Janice Hoover. The couple made their home near Dillon, where they were engaged in farming, until retiring in 2000. Gerald earned a soil conservation award honoring his farming practices that saved the fertile soil of his Iowa farm ground. This patient, soft spoken man of few words loved to be outside in Gods great creation. Fishing, hunting, trapping, and working in his timber were some of his favorite pastimes. He had a special pride in his farm pond, and its peaceful surroundings. This past summer, Gerald was blessed with a family fishing trip to northern Minnesota. He always looked forward to attending his grandsons athletic events, especially baseball games. He was always ready for a card game with family and friends. Left to mourn their loss and cherish Geralds memory are his beloved wife Janice; his son Gregory Wolken of rural Marshalltown, his daughters Darla (Jerald) Newsam of Conifer, CO, and Julie (Kevin) Cooper of rural Marshalltown; a special grandson, Dakotah Wolken; brother, Roger Wolken of Moline, IL; many cousins, as well as a host of friends. In death, Gerald has rejoined his parents.