Stanley Ernest Kolbe Sr.

Stanley Ernest Kolbe Sr., 99, of Marshalltown, passed away on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at the Unity Point Health – Marshalltown Hospital Center.

Cremation rites have been accorded and currently no memorial services have been scheduled. For more information or to send a condolence, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234. Mitchell Family Funeral Home is caring for Stanley and his family.

Stanley Kolbe Sr. was born on June 25, 1925, in Iowa Falls, Iowa. He was the son of Frank and Anna (Mehulka) Kolbe. Stanley graduated high school early to seek enlistment for service. While almost seventeen years of age, when he would soon be old to immediately enlist in the United States Air Force. While a combat officer’s commission had to wait for his eighteenth birthday, he spent months in the Officer’s Candidate program at the University of Minnesota and would soon be commissioned and stationed to the European theater air war (mostly over Germany, Italy, Austria) on a B-24 Liberator class bomber in the 459th Squadron. He would fly a total of 56 missions, 35 in hostile combat missions, and would log more than 250,000 combat hours earning the Air Force’s highest honor, The Distinguished Flying Cross, amongst many others. He was decommissioned from Air Force Service in 1957 after serving in the Air Force Reserves for more than a decade.

On February 19, 1950, Stanley married the love of his life, Wanda Lee George in Marshalltown, Iowa at the United Methodist Church. They would have a marriage that lasted 67 years.

Stanley worked for the Maytag Corporation in Newton, IA for nearly 4 decades, most as a UAW skilled trade’s contract negotiator, reaching a national negotiator rank, often working alongside well-known national labor official, elected political and appointed government leaders, many becoming lifelong friends. He was active in local, state and national political party affairs, and was often selected a convention delegate, attending a number of national political party conventions.

Extremely supportive and active in local, state and national sports and sporting organizations, Kolbe was a hands-on enthusiast for decades in coaching supporting area youth sports. He had many roles for the Marshalltown Little League and Babe Ruth programs, both in coaching and field development, seeing two of children play at the college level. Like many devoted coaching parents, he rarely missed a high school or college game he could possibly make to cheer on his sons in competition.

He was also selected and honored to be a member of the Iowa Bowlers Hall of Fame and a past officer of the Marshalltown Men’s Bowling Association. Kolbe was devoted to youth sports and enjoyed coaching his children and other developing players.

His other passion was his frequent travel to see his children and friends in Washington, DC but he especially loved to take his wife on frequent trips to Las Vegas, and enjoyed many a fine meal there, always finished with his favorite, a slice of delicious berry pie.

He also was far more than an avid fan of the New York Yankees baseball team from an early age, attending games far and wide for decades. He often saw the Yankees up close, journeying to games home and away, including at Yankee Stadium, and the Yankee Spring Training home in Tampa, FL. An animal lover and supporter of animal rescue organizations, he and his family adopted, rescued and gave a wonderful home to many dogs and too many cats to count over his lifetime.

Stanley is survived by his loving and devoted children, grandchildren and great grandchildren: Stanley E. (Nina) Kolbe Jr. of Washington, D.C., David R. Kolbe of Marshalltown and Sherry L. Kolbe of Washington, D.C. Grandchildren: Erik (Dottie) Barber of Falls Church, Virginia, Marisa (Alex Mandolidis) Barber of Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, Alexandra (Thomas) Bardenwerper of Coral Gables, Florida and Katerina (Chris) Menard of Wellesley, Massachusetts, along with five great-grandchildren.

Stanley is preceded in death by his wife of sixty-eight years: Wanda; parents: Frank and Anna and a daughter: Marsha K. Barber.