Marvin J. Rempel, 82, of Frytown, passed away Sunday, Sept.17, 2023, at the University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City. A celebration of life will be held Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023 at 11 a.m., at the East Union Mennonite Church, rural Kalona. The service will be available via Livestream at the Beatty Peterseim website, Facebook and YouTube pages. Burial will be held prior to the service at 9:30 a.m., at the East Union Cemetery. The family will greet friends from 4-7 p.m. at the East Union Mennonite Church fellowship hall on Friday, Sept. 22.
Marvin was born July 5, 1941, in Mt. Lake, Minn., the only son of John C. and Margaret (Ewert) Rempel. He was baptized in 1954 and became a member of Carson Mennonite Brethren Church in Delft, Minn. He graduated from Windom, Minn. high school in 1959, graduated from Tabor College, Hillsboro, Kansas in 1963, and spent two years with Mennonite Central Committee in Algeria, North Africa. While there, he worked in a medical unit in a very impoverished area and with garden, chicken, and rabbit projects for local people.
Returning to the U.S., he spent two years working and then returned to college, obtaining a Masters of Business Administration at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. At Cornell, he met his future wife, Grace B. Titsworth, and they were united in marriage June 20, 1970, at the Groveland Hill Presbyterian Church, Groveland, New York.
After two years as assistant manager of the Windom Coop Elevator in Windom, Minn., he worked for the Pillsbury Company, Minneapolis, Minn., first as a commodity analyst and later as an ingredient buyer. In 1979, he and his family relocated to Kalona (Frytown), Iowa, where he was the grain merchandiser for Yoder, Inc. and later worked for Oakville Feed and Grain and Gringer Ag, Inc. in Iowa City.
Marvin was an active member of East Union Mennonite Church where he was an elder and Sunday School teacher for many years. He was a past member of the board of directors at Yoder, Inc. and Pleasantview. He enjoyed gardening, Sudoku, golfing, reading, and family activities, especially time with the grandchildren.
Survivors include his wife of 53 years: Grace; children: Randy (Kristen) Rempel of Iowa City and Rachel (Ryan) Koehn of Newton, Kansas; and five grandchildren: Gretta Rempel, Jace Rempel, Ellen Rempel, Sarah Koehn, and Isaac Koehn.
A memorial fund has been established for Hillcrest Academy and East Union Mennonite Church. The Beatty Peterseim Funeral Home is assisting the family.
