Kenneth Garmager

Kenneth Edward "Ken" Garmager, 86, of Waterloo - a treasured husband, father and grandfather - died March 7 at ManorCare following a long illness.
He was born in 1926 to Edward and Margit Garmager, immigrants from Roros, Norway, who had built new lives in Rockford, Illinois. At Rockford East High School, Ken was a member of the National Honor Society and participated in football and track, including running the half-mile at the state meet.
He met his wife, then Lorraine Swanson, at Rockford East when he gave her a ride home from school. They were married for 64 years, enjoying an active social life well into their 80s.
While still in high school, Ken also took private flying lessons and earned his pilot's license. He later enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and, after serving in the military, went on to study business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He worked for 20 years at the House of Lindberg furniture store in Rockford, becoming general manager there before moving to Waterloo in 1967 to become Karl Mueller's business partner at Mueller's Furniture. He became sole owner when Karl retired and then operated Mueller's Furniture until 1996, when he closed the business upon his own retirement at age 70.
Ken was an active member of Rotary International in both Rockford and Waterloo, and he served as vice chairman of the board of First United Methodist Church of Waterloo. He also served on the board of directors at Sunnyside Country Club and at Perpetual Savings and Loan.
Ken, a dedicated sport fan, was an Iowa Hawkeye football season ticket holder for more than 30 years. He loved playing golf at Sunnyside until he was 82 years old. A lifelong skier, Ken taught many of his grandchildren how to ski and was still on the slopes at age 74.
He and Lorraine enjoyed many skiing trips to Colorado, as well as one to Austria. In 1983, they accompanied his father back to Norway so Ed could enjoy one last visit with relatives there.
They were also frequent travelers in their retirement - journeying to France with a group of friends, celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary with a trip to New York City, and enjoying trips to Florida every winter to visit a number of close friends. Last year Ken traveled to Washington, D.C., on one of the "honor flights" established for veterans.
He was a devoted father and grandfather, attending every holiday family gathering, birthday party and graduation ceremony with his camera in hand. Ken took pride in teaching his grandchildren about their Norwegian heritage. As they grew up and traveled throughout the world, he enjoyed following their journeys and finding their new homes on his collection of maps.
Ken was an avid reader who loved newspapers and was always interested in current events. A great listener with a warm, friendly personality, he was a pleasure to engage in conversation.
Ken is survived by his beloved wife, Lorraine, their daughter Kristine Larson and her husband, Dale, of North Liberty; and sons Scott Garmager and his wife, Jackie, of Cedar Falls; and Dr. Kirk Garmager and his wife, Ann, of Coralville.
He is also survived by eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren: Aaron Larson and Jill Janeck of Chicago; Allison Garmager of Iowa City; Eli and Asih Asikin-Garmager of Iowa City and their son, Dylan; Kimberly and Garrett Burrier of West Des Moines and their daughters Sydney and Saydie; Krista Larson of Dakar, Senegal; Lauren Garmager of Coralville; Melissa and Kurt Van Veldhuizen of Grimes; and Seth Garmager of Cedar Falls.
Ken was preceded in death by his sister, Ruth Moen of Menomonie, Wisconsin, and a grandson, Andrew Larson of Iowa City.
His funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church of Waterloo. Visitation will take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Locke Funeral Home. The family requests that memorial contributions be made to First United Methodist Church of Waterloo.