Paullina, Iowa
Marvin L. Gerstandt, 71, of rural Paullina, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend, passed away Saturday, Jan. 4, 2020, at his residence.
Services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday at Church of Christ in Sutherland, Iowa. Burial will be in Liberty Township Cemetery, Calumet, Iowa. Visitation will be after 4 p.m. today, with the family present 5 to 7 p.m., at Eldridge Family Funeral Home in Paullina.
Marv was born on Feb. 6, 1948, in Cherokee, Iowa, to Herman and Delores Gerstandt. He had two younger siblings, Linda and Dennis. The family of five grew up on the family farm in the Larrabee, Iowa area. Marv was confirmed in the United Church of Christ faith as a boy. He played varsity football and graduated in 1966 from Cherokee High School. Following graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he eventually achieved the rank of sergeant E-4 and served as a nuclear weapons specialist.
It was during his time in the Air Force that he met his future wife, Cecilia, and they were married on March 14, 1970 in Wilmington, N.C. Together they had two children, Joseph and Christine. Upon completion of his time in the Air Force, he moved back to Northwest Iowa with his family and started farming. Marv and his family would move in September 1972 to their current farm, where Marv and Cecilia raised their children. Marv loved to farm, taking meticulous care of his fields, livestock, equipment, and buildings. In his early years of farming, Marv took night classes at Western Iowa Tech Community College and graduated with degrees in both farm management and advanced agriculture production.
Marv's faith was important to him. In 1990, Marv and Cecilia were baptized by immersion and through the years Marv served on numerous church boards and in numerous church capacities, serving alongside and with many dear friends. He also served for several decades on the Liberty Township Board.
Marv delighted in his kids and in becoming a grandparent. Some of his greatest joys were time spent with his grandchildren, Mitchell, Meghan, Gillian, Oscar, and Hadyn. Four-wheeler rides, tractor rides and farming, games of Scrabble, Catan, Monopoly, ping pong, shuffleboard, volleyball, barn ball, long conversations, pickleball, and much laughter and teasing are some of the cherished times Marv shared with his grandchildren.