Obituary of Grover V. Rosenkild

Grover V. (G.V. or Rosy) Rosenkild, 89, of Iowa City, died January 20, 2008, with his sons at his side, after a short illness. At Grover’s request, he will be cremated and there will be no services. Donations in his memory may be sent to the Iowa City Senior Center. Grover would have wanted to thank all of those who cared for him at Oaknoll and during his hospitalization, especially his long-time physician, Dr. Gwen Beck, for her many years of compassionate care and friendship. Online condolences may be sent for his family through the web @ www.gayandciha.com. Grover was born March 14, 1918, near Poplar, Iowa, the youngest of three sons of Andrew and Rosa (Sorensen) Rosenkild, who both emigrated from Denmark. He graduated from Audubon High School in 1935. Between high school and college, Grover’s sense of adventure found him traveling to the Texas Centennial and to California in search of employment. He received a certificate in dairy industries from Iowa State University in 1940. Grover was drafted into the Army in July, 1941, and, a month after Pearl Harbor, was stationed in Hawaii with the Coast Artillery Corps. While back in the states for officer candidate school, he met Muriel M. Fahrney of Deep River, Iowa, on a train to Washington, D.C., where Muriel was working as Jimmy Doolittle’s secretary at the Pentagon. Fortunately for their children, Muriel declined a commission in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Corps and she and Grover were married March 14, 1944, at Fort Weatherill, Rhode Island. Grover then served in the Philippines until Christmas, 1945. From 1946 to 1986, Grover worked for the Soil Conservation Service, in Washington and Johnson Counties. He and Muriel lived for nearly thirty years in Washington, Iowa, where they raised two sons, until moving to Iowa City in 1974, when Grover was transferred. While in Washington, Grover served as an elder and a deacon at First Christian Church, where he remained a lifelong member. After retirement, Grover volunteered for many years at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics and at the Iowa City Senior Citizens Center. He was a man of many talents, typical of “The Greatest Generation.” When the house needed painting, hardwood floors, wallpaper, a new roof, or new plumbing, Grover and Muriel did it themselves. An accomplished artist, Grover’s Hayden Fry-era caricatures entertained those passing by his George Street residence on their way to home football games for many years, and his Iowa City-theme Christmas and note cards were very popular. Grover loved to sing and was a member of the Voices of Experience choral group at the senior center. He was a devoted husband and father, taking his family on annual summer vacations throughout the United States (one in 1966 that concluded with a Beatles concert), timing at his sons’ weekly swim meets for many years, and keeping his family entertained with an ornery streak that resulted in, among other things, appearing on stage with Cream in 1968 and performing with Blood, Sweat, & Tears in 1969. Grover will be greatly missed by all who knew him. He is survived by his sons, John (Shirley) of Muscatine, and Jim (Linda Breck) of Corpus Christi, Texas, seven grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his parents and his brothers, Harold and Raymond. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service of Iowa City is caring for Grover’s family.