Obituary of Marvin Thomas

Marvin DeWayne Thomas, 87, of Letts, died peacefully on Sunday, May 13, 2018 at his home in Letts, Iowa.  Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m. on Friday, May 18, 2018, at the Letts United Methodist Church. Burial will be in Letts Cemetery with military rites by the Allen Wright Hanft Post #100  Visitation for Marvin will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2018, from 4:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at the Stacy-Lewis Home for Funeral and Cremation Services in Columbus Junction.  In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for the Letts United Methodist Church, Hospice Compassus of Davenport and Grandview/Letts Lions in memory of Marvin.  Online condolences may be left for the family at www.lewisfuneralhomes.com 

Marvin was born on September 23, 1930 in Yarmouth, Iowa, the son of LeRoy Thomas and Aletha (Vandermark) Thomas and was raised in the New London area.   Marvin proudly served his county in the United States Marines form 1951 until 1953.  He then went on to serve as a member of the reserves for another six years.   On June 23, 1951, he was united in marriage to Margaret Ann Carman.   Marvin was owner/operator of Martin’s 66 Service Station in Letts for 30 years.  Other than his family, Marvin’s priority in life was service to others.  He was especially proud of the Governor’s Award for Volunteerism presented by Governor Terry Branstad.  Other activities where his dedication to service was on display were the Letts United Methodist Church, Letts Fire Department where he served as chief for many years, Grandview/Letts Lions where he served as president and received perfect attendance for 34 years, Letts City Council, Columbus City Masonic Lodge #107 where he was a 50 year member, and the Louisa County Ambulance Service where he became one of the 1^st EMT’s to serve the Letts area.  Marvin will always be remembered as the voice of the L&M Falcons where he served as the sporting events announcer for 25 years.  His declining health did not damper his special appreciation for family, college sports, horse racing, rodeo and all things “COWBOY,” as he always dreamt of living the “Old West” lifestyle.

Marvin will be deeply missed by his wife, Margaret of Letts; children, Anita (Mike) Stineman of rural Letts, Iowa, Bruce (Sue) Thomas of Algona, Iowa, Melvin (Rita) Thomas of Warsaw, Illinois, and Jeff Thomas of Letts, Iowa; nine grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; siblings, Evelyn Welker of Muscatine, Verla (Bill) Canfield of Phoenix, AZ, Mary Alice McClasky of Quincy, IL and David (Marge) Thomas of New London, IA; sister-in-law, Rosa Thomas of Wichita, KS and several nieces and nephews. 

He was preceded in death by his infant daughter Norma Lee, his parents; step-mother, Esther Thomas, and siblings, Donald Thomas, Charles Thomas, Genieve Connor, Jack Thomas and Larry Thomas.