Obituary of June Edwards Marden

June Edwards Marden, 86, of Iowa City died early Monday, March 5, 2012, at Windmill Manor in Iowa City. Memorial services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, March 9 at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. A short graveside service will also be held at the Forest Cemetery in Oskaloosa at 2:00 p.m. Memorial donations can be made in June's memory to Hospice Compassus. Online condolences may be sent to her family through the web at www.gayandciha.com. June Edwards was born June 26, 1925, in Oskaloosa, the youngest child of Bertha 'Dickie' (Allen) Edwards and Oliver Twist Edwards, of Oskaloosa. Her three older siblings were Johnita, Bettie and Gilbert. June graduated from Oskaloosa High School in 1943, and attended William Penn College, earning her BA in Sociology and teaching certificate. She married Robert Parker Marden in 1956 and had two children, Collyer and Gilbert. She lived most of her adult life in the Iowa City area, and for a short time in North Carolina. June taught 5th grade at Grant Wood School in Iowa City for many years and before that in Oskaloosa, a total of nearly 40 years before retiring. She also tutored many students in the area privately throughout her career. June was also a cashier and bookkeeper at the Englert Theater for many years. June loved big band and swing music, and was quite a dancer when younger. June was an avid reader and loved her convertibles, owning several, and was always ready to go for a ride. Her family includes her daughter, Collyer Marden Ekholm and Steve Ekholm of Scottsdale, AZ, her granddaughter, Sarah Ekholm also of Scottsdale, AZ, and many nieces and nephews across the country. She was preceded in death by her father, mother, ex-husband, brother, sisters, and her son, Gilbert 'Gib' Marden.