Roger C. Wolken

On the evening of August 10th, 2026, Roger C. Wolken, 96, passed away at Accura HealthCare in Marshalltown, Iowa under the care of hospice. Private graveside services will be at the Trinity Lutheran Cemetery of Dillon.

Roger was born on December 18, 1929, at the Evangelical Deaconess Hospital in Marshalltown. He was the first child of Charlie and Mildred Wolken. A few years later, he became the big brother to a new baby boy, Gerald.

Roger grew up on a farm in the Dillon, IA area, where he attended a country school near Dillon (Le Grand No. 7) for 8 years. His high school years were spent at Dunbar School, where he graduated in 1947.

In 1952, Roger enlisted in the U.S. Navy for 4 years. During this time, he received an education in Aerology (meteorology). First, he was stationed at Kwajalein, a small island in the South Pacific Ocean for 2 years. Then it was off to Hawaii and Seattle, WA. Roger often said, “Some of the best years of my life were my four years in the Navy.”

Roger’s love of naval training was the start of a career in meteorology. Roger’s first employments were at the Des Moines' airport and in Casper, WY. Roger then worked at the airport in Moline, IL for over 40 years until retirement. Some of his main duties were radio broadcasting, newspaper reports, and giving pilots weather reports. After retirement, he took numerous trips across the U.S.A. with a camera around his neck, looking for that unique picture. He was always the family photographer.

In addition to traveling and photography, Roger had numerous hobbies: coin, bottle, stamp and baseball card collecting; and flower gardening. He enjoyed playing cards and watching sports (Hawkeyes, Cubs, Blackhawks, and Oakland Raiders being some of his favorites), music, airshows, and classic movies. Roger had a strong faith and was a devoted member of his Dillon and Moline Lutheran churches. Roger will be remembered for his steel trap memory, penmanship, and amiability. He relocated back to Marshalltown for his final years.

Although the family will deeply miss him, he’s entered the gates of Heaven, "picturing" Paradise.

Roger is survived by his nieces: Darla (Jerald) Newsam and Julie (Kevin) Cooper; nephews: Greg Wolken and Dakotah (Cassedi) Wolken; sister-in-law Janice Wolken; and special cousins Jay (Kathy) and Charles (Stephanie) Kacena, Jolene Schnathorst, and Dennis Wolken. Roger is preceded in death by his parents, Charlie and Mildred, and brother, Gerald Wolken.

- Lovingly written by the family