Gary Richard Biderman

Gary Richard Biderman, 76, of rural Ely, passed away on December 9, 2025. Gary, or "Bubba" as he was known to his close friends and family, was born on April 15, 1949, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa the son of Eleanore (Pospisil) Biderman and Benjamin Biderman. Gary grew up next to the Palisades State Park, and much of his childhood was spent in the park or on the nearby Cedar River. He graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in 1967 and proceeded to enter the turmoil of the late 1960s. Gary moved to Iowa City after graduating to start at the University of Iowa and worked in the Chicago stockyards the summer of 1968, where he protested the Vietnam War in the infamous protests at the 1968 Democratic Convention. While the events and atmosphere of the late 1960s proved too much to get a degree in his first attempt at college, Gary ended up with something better, as he met his life partner and future wife Rosemary during this time in Iowa City. Gary spent the next decade as a carpenter, much of it with his dear friend Charlie Kapp, and traveling the world with Rosemary. By the early 1980s Gary and Rose had 3 sons, and he returned to school and got degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Iowa. Gary went on to work as a mechanical engineer for approximately 30 years, most of it at the Duane Arnold Nuclear Energy Plant. His retirement was spent tending to his beloved acreage outside of Ely, which had been in the Biderman family for generations, and where he had raised his family. Gary will be remembered by those who knew him for his kind and gentle nature, voracious appetite for knowledge and reading, his love of music and nature, and sharp wit. To his sons, Gary did his best to instill civic participation and critical thinking and was an everyday model of the quiet dignity of hard work. Survivors include his wife Rosemary Biderman of rural Ely, children Michael (Carolyn) Biderman of Iowa City, Martin (Rachelle) Biderman of Lisbon, Jon (Louise) Biderman of Western; four grandchildren, Eleanor Biderman, Frank Biderman, Trudy Biderman and Maxine Biderman, and brother Michael (Susan) Biderman of Mount Vernon. Gary was preceded in death by his sister Patricia Biderman and his parents. Memorials, in lieu of flowers, may be directed to the ACLU of Iowa in Gary's honor. A celebration of life BBQ (with fireworks as Gary would have wanted it!) will be held at a later date when the weather warms up.