Dennis G. Marsh

1944 - 2026

Dennis G. Marsh

January 1, 1944 - February 23, 2026

Dennis G. Marsh, 82, passed away on Monday, February 23, 2026, at MercyOne North Iowa Medical Center in Mason City, Iowa.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 329 E. State Street, Mason City. Burial will follow at Elmwood-St. Joseph Cemetery, Mason City. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2026, at Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel, 126 3rd Street NE, Mason City.

Memorials may be directed to his family. Dennis deeply valued hands-on learning, and Nancy, Mindy, and Molly will determine a local vocational technology program to receive the gifts in his honor.

Dennis Glenn Marsh was born January 1, 1944 - the best possible day for a birthday, he always said - on the family farm near the Floyd-Butler County line to Walter and Doris (Knoop) Marsh. He grew up with brothers, Don and Dick, and sister, Pat, participating in anything that kept him outdoors - 4-H, Boy Scouts, and the Marble Rock rifle club, where he eventually became an expert rifleman.

He loved baseball and spent hours batting balls off the silo until he earned his place on the Marble Rock Cubs' Little League team. In 1957, he was named MVP and, in storybook fashion, hit a home run in his final at-bat during his last game. When he was 7, his family attended a Boston Red Sox game, where his dad took him behind home plate to watch Ted Williams take a mighty swing. He became a lifelong Sox fan from that day forward.

Faith shaped him from a young age, and he attended Bethel Baptist Sunday School through high school. By age 16, his core beliefs included: Dekalb seed was good, Pioneer was not; cars were good; the Red Sox were good; beer and cigarettes were bad; you don't wear jeans to church; you keep your eye on the ball if you expect to hit it; you don't work on Sundays unless planting or harvesting; and laughing so hard you lose your breath is one of life's great gifts. He laughed a lot.

Cars were another great love. He remembered every car he ever owned and the stories to go with them: the white 1955 Ford, he and his buddies drove to escort the governor to a Boy Scout event, wearing the raccoon coats and derby hats they bought at a crazy days sale. The black 1958 Ford, an ex-highway patrol car with a big-boy engine from heaven. His beloved 1959 corvette, which he stripped to the bolts and restored to its glory: red leather seats, all-black exterior, silver cove on the side.

Dennis attended school in Marble Rock, scoring average to below average grades, but he had a lot of fun. He buckled down and earned his A.A. degree from Mason City Junior College, and from the University of Northern Iowa his bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial technology in 1967 and 1969.

On August 21, 1966, he married Margaret A. "Maggie" Gage at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Mason City. Their twin daughters, Mindy and Molly, came a year later, born six minutes apart but on separate days. He often said they were his greatest accomplishment.

Dennis began his teaching career in Independence, Iowa, where he taught woodworking, drafting, auto mechanics, and electronics. But in 1973, adventure called. Dennis and family moved to Okinawa, Japan, where he taught electronics and coached golf at Kubasaki High School with the U.S. Department of Defense. A year later, they transferred to Bitburg, Germany, where Dennis taught electronics, drafting, and photography, and coached golf and basketball. Four years later, they moved to England and he taught at Upper Heyford High School. In 1980, the family returned to Iowa so his daughters could grow up near their extended family.

From 1981 to 1987, Dennis worked at the Globe Gazette as a district manager and earned his real estate and broker's licenses, working with Edwards-Brandt Real Estate. But teaching was his true calling. In 1987, he and Margaret returned to England and later Würzburg, Germany, where he remained for nearly a decade. He retired in 2006.

Margaret died suddenly on May 2, 1999. Sustained by his faith, family, and friends, Dennis slowly found his footing again. In time, and with a nudge from a good friend, he invited Nancy Hines, a fellow teacher in Germany, to share a cappuccino at a bookstore (she doesn't like coffee). After praying for what he called the "3Ps" - peace, a plan, and a person to share it with - Nancy became the answer to that final prayer. Dennis and Nancy were married on August 10, 2002, and built a life rich with grand-parenting, travel, and shared adventure. Over the course of his life, he visited more than 65 countries.

Dennis was devoted to his daughters, and they to him. He was their steady presence, documenting every music event and lap around the track with his camera, embarrassing them by recording their high school dance preparations and showing the videos to family. He took their calls about strange car noises and plugged drains, even from overseas. He could fix anything.

He was similarly devoted to his grandkids, and they to their Bompa. Sporting events, musicals, graduations-he and Nancy were there. He had a golden touch when it came to cars and found deals on used cars for them (always red) and helped launch their post-high school educations.

Dennis had an amazing number of hobbies. Photography was a lifelong passion, as was golf, from his early days in Mason City to retirement rounds at Mason City Country Club, Highland Park, and in Florida. He recorded two holes-in-one on different continents, one in Kitzingen, Germany, and one in Mason City, a story he told with well-earned satisfaction.

He also was a master woodworker. His house, his daughters' houses, his grandkids' apartments, and houses around Mason City all hold his work: desks, cabinets, bookcases, tables, lamps, clocks. He also completed projects for the AIC Museum in Mason City. Ever practical, he even built his own casket and lined it with fabric featuring power tools. During COVID, Dennis applied his craftsmanship to pie-making, making apple, coconut cream, and triple berry pies with lattice crusts. He used his woodshop grater to zest lime for his key lime pie.

Dennis packed multiple lifetimes into one remarkably full life. And, in true Dennis fashion, he wrote his own autobiography, telling the fuller, funnier versions of his stories in his own words for his family and future generations.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy, of Mason City; daughters, Mindy (Dan) Ray of Faribault, Minn., and Molly Marsh of Minneapolis, Minn.; grandchildren, Ellie Ray, Tim Ray, Leah Ray, Hannah Ray (fiancé, Patrick Malnaa), and Claire Ray; sister, Pat (Bill) Fluhrer; sisters-in-law, Marlene Marsh, Ada (Ron) Grosland, and Jane (Nik) Taylor; brothers-in-law, Pete (Debra) Gage, Jim (Kathy) Gage, and Philip (Mary) Hines; as well as many nieces, nephews, extended family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Margaret; brothers, Dick Marsh and Don Marsh; and sister-in-law, Chris Marsh.

Hogan-Bremer-Moore Colonial Chapel. 641-423-2372. ColonialChapels.com