James "Jim" Harold Schmickley
July 15, 1935 — December 1, 2014
James “Jim” Harold Schmickley, 79, of Cedar Rapids, died Monday, December 1, 2014. Services: 11:00 a.m., Monday, December 8, 2014, at First United Methodist Church, Marion, Iowa. Visitation: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Sunday, December 7, 2014, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Marion, Iowa, and one hour prior to the service. There will be a private family burial.
Jim was born July 15, 1935, in Lake City, Iowa, to Harold and Margaret (James) Schmickley. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Engineering from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and his MBA from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Jim and Kae Nelson were married at the First Methodist Church in Boone, Iowa, on November 23, 1958. He proudly served in the Army for four years in Germany. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa. He retired in 1995 from Rockwell as a Reliability Engineer, after working for over 30 years in the defense industry.
He is survived by his wife, Kae; children, Michael (Julie) Schmickley of Algonquin, Illinois, Susan (Eldon) Zacek of Concord, North Carolina, Keith (Julie) Schmickley of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; grandchildren, Jennifer, Bradley, Emma and Leah Schmickley, Eldon III and Valerie Zacek, Kameron (Jamie) Hobbs, and Quinn, Mitchell and Cole Kirchner; four great grandchildren; brothers, Ronald (Judy) Schmickley, Dennis (Marilyn) Schmickley and Verne (Beki) Schmickley; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Jim enjoyed watching military movies, was a history buff and wrote guest columns for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Above all else, Jim enjoyed spending time with his friends, family and especially his beloved dog Cocoa.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa, in Jim’s memory.
Jim was born July 15, 1935, in Lake City, Iowa, to Harold and Margaret (James) Schmickley. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Engineering from Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and his MBA from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Jim and Kae Nelson were married at the First Methodist Church in Boone, Iowa, on November 23, 1958. He proudly served in the Army for four years in Germany. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa. He retired in 1995 from Rockwell as a Reliability Engineer, after working for over 30 years in the defense industry.
He is survived by his wife, Kae; children, Michael (Julie) Schmickley of Algonquin, Illinois, Susan (Eldon) Zacek of Concord, North Carolina, Keith (Julie) Schmickley of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; grandchildren, Jennifer, Bradley, Emma and Leah Schmickley, Eldon III and Valerie Zacek, Kameron (Jamie) Hobbs, and Quinn, Mitchell and Cole Kirchner; four great grandchildren; brothers, Ronald (Judy) Schmickley, Dennis (Marilyn) Schmickley and Verne (Beki) Schmickley; and several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.
Jim enjoyed watching military movies, was a history buff and wrote guest columns for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. Above all else, Jim enjoyed spending time with his friends, family and especially his beloved dog Cocoa.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the First United Methodist Church in Marion, Iowa, in Jim’s memory.
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