| Obituary |
Louis Reinhardt Marz was born Oct. 29, 1923, in Homestead, the son of John Jacob Marz and Henrietta Kolb Marz. As a boy, he attended the Amana schools. Following graduation in 1941, he attended Coe College. He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 where he served as an engineer. He completed civil engineering training at the Virginia Military Institute and was deployed overseas on his birthday in 1944 as part of the 282nd Engineering Combat Battalion. As the war was coming to an end, he was wounded from enemy fire while building a bridge at Echternach, Luxemburg, in 1945, and went on to receive the Purple Heart for the injury that almost took his life. He along with several hundred other servicemen from the greatest generation made the trip to Washington, D.C., 70 years later, as part of the Cedar Rapids Honor Flight program on Sept. 11, 2011.
Following his return to the states after World War II, Louis completed his education at Iowa State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He went on to work at Amana Refrigeration, Inc. as a design engineer his entire working career.
He married Dorothy Berger on Nov. 12, 1949. The couple later divorced.
Louis married Caroline Brandt on Jan. 16, 1987. The couple made their home in both Homestead and Las Cruces, N.M.
Louis’ lifetime passions included being a founding member of the Amana Heritage Society and serving as an elder at the Amana Church.
Additionally, he was an active member of the Homestead Welfare Club, a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge and the 32 degree Scottish Rite. His hobbies included teaching and playing bridge, tennis, crossword puzzles, ISU Cyclone football, traveling and caring for his beloved English Sheepdogs, most recently his “good girl” Roxie.
Following his retirement, Louis volunteered at the Amana Heritage Museum and the Farm and Ranch Museum in Las Cruces.
Louis is survived by his wife, Caroline; sister-in-law, Ellen Mae Marz; daughter Mary (Tom) Burgher, East Amana; son, Dr. Mark (Marti) Marz, Cedar Rapids; step-children, Alan Cerwick, San Antonio, Texas, and Brigitte Cerwick, Coppell, Texas; six grandchildren, Laura (Keith) Simmonds, Andrew (Stephanie) Marz, Liesl (Daniel) Yunek, Fritz Burgher, Mackenzie Cerwick and Justin Cerwick; and three great-grandchildren, Daniel and Anna Simmonds, and Everett Yunek.
He was preceded in death by his parents, a sister, Helen Dittrich, and a brother Fritz Marz. [3] |
| + | 1. Marz, Helene Dorothy
b. 6 Nov 1921, Homestead, Ct Iowa, Iowa, USA 
d. 21 Apr 2006, Middle Amana, Ct Iowa, Iowa, USA (Age 84 years) | | + | 2. Marz, Fritz Rudolf
b. 24 Mar 1925, Homestead, Ct Iowa, Iowa, USA
d. 27 Sep 2012, Middle Amana, Ct Iowa, Iowa, USA (Age 87 years) |
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1923 - 2017 (94 years)
Siblings