Marilyn Medberry

Marilyn Louise (Roepke) Medberry was born on April 17, 1942 in Littleton, Iowa to Rudolph and Edna (Weitnauer) Roepke. 

At two years old the family moved to Hazleton, Iowa and Marilyn graduated from Hazleton High School in 1960. 

In her youth she enjoyed ice skating and playing with her 11 siblings. 

The summer before her senior year of high school was spent as a nurse's aide, which she really enjoyed. She decided to be a nurse and spent three months at nurse's training and as a scrub nurse at Oelwein's Mercy Hospital in1961.

In 1964 Marilyn married and later divorced Dulane Schoen and gave birth to Michael Todd and April Zoe in California. 

Marilyn married Robert Eugene "Gene" Medberry on March 24, 1974 and Amy Gene was born in 1975. Gene then adopted Mike and April in 1976. Gene's daughters Roberta and Connie visited on the weekends and a blended family was born. 

Gene and Marilyn were married and resided at rural Elgin for almost 44 years on the family farm. Marilyn helped with farm chores as a farm wife, was a Sunday school teacher at Illyria Community Church and lifetime member, cooked at the Town House Cafe, and was the bookkeeper at Old Mill Floral in West Union.

Marilyn and Gene enjoyed their retirement camping at Wildwood Acres near Maquoketa, Iowa.

Marilyn loved playing cards and board games with her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed reading all day long, keeping family stories alive, canoeing on the Turkey River, shopping, camping, extensive traveling, knitting, crocheting, tri-chem painting, cooking and baking, and eating Chinese food. Our mom made the best potato salad ever!

Some of her favorites were: her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, listening to Elvis Presley & ‘50s music, Pepsi not Coke, watching John Wayne movies, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy. Marilyn was so proud of her all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

  Marilyn passed away from complications of a second stroke on the first day of spring March 20, 2018 with her family around her; she would’ve been 76 on April 17.

Those left to honor her memory include her husband: Gene Medberry of Elgin; son: Michael (Mary Ann) Medberry of Santa Vista, Calif.; daughters: April (Ken) Schmitt of Fort Atkinson and Amy Medberry of Elgin and (Amy's special friend Justin Zeran); step-daughters: Roberta Medberry of West Union and Connie (Mat) Benjegerdes of West Union; grandchildren: Ryan (Ali) Benjegerdes, Lucas Benjegerdes, Christopher (Ivy) Medberry, Casey Aagesen, and Ashley Aagesen; great-grandchildren: Lydia and August Benjegerdes, Eli Rudy Walker, Lillian and Isabella Medberry; sisters: Dorothy Knavel, Thelma Duckett, Elaine Rockwood, Judy (Mark) Lang, Alice Roepke-Vega; sisters-in-law: Susan Roepke, Marlene (John) Grimm, Meg (Bill) Moellering; and many nieces and nephews.

Marilyn was preceded in death by her parents: Rudy and Edna Roepke, in-laws: Howard and Edith Medberry, sisters/sisters-in-law: Gladys Higgins, Bessie Roepke (in infancy) and Shirley Roepke and brothers/brothers-in-law: Jim Roepke, Jerry Roepke, Paul Roepke, Bob Knavel, Ray Rockwood, Roger Duckett, and Mike Vega; and 12 nephews & nieces.

  Services were held at Illyria Community Church, rural Elgin, on Sunday, March 25. 

Interment will be at a later date with immediate family.

Leonard-Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service, Monona, Iowa is helping the family with the arrangements.               13u13