Gary Joseph Blasen

Gary Joseph Blasen, 66, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away on Thursday, March 30, 2023, with his family by his side at Methwick in Cedar Rapids after a long illness with frontotemporal dementia. Visitation: 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, April 15, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion, Iowa, with a memorial service to follow. Gary was born Sept. 21, 1956, to Joseph and Joan (Hutter) Blasen in Dubuque, Iowa. He graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1975 and went on to become a carpenter, working for the Home Repair Team in North Liberty, Iowa. He married Alice Nemec in Oahu, Hawaii, on July 2, 1985, together they had two daughters. Gary enjoyed golfing and watching sports, especially the Hawkeyes and was a talented craftsman. Gary's greatest joy was spending time with his family. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. Gary is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife, Alice; daughters, Brook Blasen of Cedar Rapids and Stacie Blasen of Chicago, Ill.; grandchildren, Tate Boleyn and Lincoln Pollmeier, both of Cedar Rapids; sister, Julie (George) Sharkey; brothers, Joe (Carol) Blasen, Greg (Jamie) Blasen, Rick (Judy) Blasen, Jay (Julie) Blasen and Chris (Kristen) Blasen; mother-in-law, Loretta Nemec, brothers-in-law, Tom Nemec and Allen (Patti) Nemec; sister-in-law, Jennifer Nemec; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Joseph and Joan Blasen; granddaughter, Makayla Boleyn; and father-in-law, Raymond Nemec. The family would like to extend a special thank-you to all the in-home caregivers and to Methwick for the amazing care Gary received. Please share a memory of Gary at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.