Marlin Edward Francksen Sr.

Marlin Edward Francksen Sr., 82, of Cape Fair, Mo., formerly of Center Point, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. A visitation will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, July 30, at Sellergren Lindell De Marce in Red Oak, Iowa. A funeral service will take place at noon immediately following the visitation. In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the American Cancer Society. Marlin was born Oct. 19, 1939, in Merrill, Iowa, the son of Werner and Margaret (Trometer) Francksen. He graduated from Liberty Consolidated School in 1958. He then joined the U.S. Army National Guard and graduated in 1961 from Central Technical Institute (now DeVry University) for electronics technician. He later earned a B.A. in business administration from Upper Iowa University. In 1961 he went to work for General Electric in Utica, N.Y., where he met Carol Jean Keller. They were united in marriage on May 3, 1963. They made their home in Windsor Locks, Conn. He was employed at Hamilton Standard (subsidiary of United Aircraft). In 1964 he worked for the NASA Space Program in the Special Test Equipment division. In 1967, he went to work for the Department of Defense working for the Navy as a quality assurance representative located in the General Electric plant in Pittsfield, Mass. Later in 1971, he became an electrical engineering technician in the Fleet Ballistic Missile Program. For the next 10 years, he worked for the Defense Contracts Administration Systems Management Area (DCASMA) as a quality assurance specialist and later an iindustrial specialist in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and farmed at their Center Point, Iowa, home. He was employed by the U.S. Department of Defense as an administrative contracting officer for the states of Iowa and Nebraska. On Oct. 11, 1986, he was united in marriage with Vergie Freeze. He retired in 2005 from being the regional administrator of Government Contracting in the U.S. Small Business Administration for the Kansas City Region VII. In April 2010, they moved to Cape Fair, Mo. He fought a brave battle with stage 4 cancer since 2010. Marlin enjoyed spending time with his family, being outdoors, traveling, fishing in Canada and old cars. Survivors include his wife, Vergie; children, Pamela (Keith) Mills of Boonville, Mo., Kimberly (Robert) Burgett of Ankeny, Marlin Jr. (Sue) Francksen of Olin and Kristyn Francksen of Marion; grandchildren, Cody Mills, Taylor (Jackson) Michalski, Devan (Jordan) Cress, Tessa Davis, Marlin III (Rachel) Francksen, Jacob Francksen and Nick Francksen (Sophie Wilt); great-grandchildren, Maisie, Sterling and Steele Michalski, Hayden and Bowen Cress; brother, Larry Francksen of Merrill; sisters, Bette (Ronald) Miller of Merrill and Vicki (Bob) Schwalbach of Gilman; brother-in-law, Ron Schultz of Merrill; Vergie’s children, Rick Freeze of Tampa, Fla., and his children, Derek, Joseph, Elizabeth; Charlene Jackson of Hallsville, Mo., and her children, Jessica, Tionna, Malachi; Lisa Wyssbrod of Switzerland and her children, Iva, Alex, Timmy; and many other nieces, nephews, cousins and relatives in Germany. Marlin was preceded in death by his parents, Werner and Margaret Francksen; wife, Carol Francksen; sister, Norma Jeanne Schultz; sister-in-law, Linda Francksen; nephews, Werner R. Francksen, Nicholas Miller and Bradley Schultz; and mother-in-law, Stella Keller.