Obituary of Orrie K. Rew

Orra "Orrie" Rew, 98, of Iowa City, died at home on Monday, November 11, 2013. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, November 16, 2013, at the First United Methodist Church in Iowa City. (Sunday parking ordinance will be in effect for streets near the church) Graveside services will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Scott Township Cemetery near Winfield, Iowa. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in his memory to Iowa City Hospice or City High School Athletics c/o Iowa City Community Schools Foundation. Online condolences may be sent for his family through the web @ www.gayandciha.com. Orra K. Rew was born November 5, 1915, in Lamoni, Iowa, the son of Claude and Daisy (Smith) Rew. He graduated from Lamoni High School in 1934 and Graceland College in 1937. Orrie spent one year between high school and Graceland College working in President Roosevelt's CCC program for one year to earn money to help his family. The depression threatened to end Orrieʼs education and athletic careers at the high school level. He was always grateful for and gave all credit to Graceland College for giving him a work scholarship to play football and run track there, which gave him his opportunity to earn a better life for himself and give him a career he could enjoy for a lifetime. His success at Graceland's two year program earned him the same opportunity at Iowa State Teachersʼ College (now UNI), where he also competed in football and track and graduated in 1939. His teaching and coaching career took tim to the Iowa schools of Olds (ʼ39-ʼ41), Winthrop (ʼ41-ʼ42), Postville (ʼ45-ʼ47), Winfield (ʼ47-ʼ54 and ʼ57-ʼ61), Crawfordsville (ʼ55-ʼ57), and Iowa City (ʼ61-ʼ80). At these schools he taught a variety of subjects including history, physical education and industrial arts. He also coached nearly all sports with his highlight seasons being his Winfield state tournament basketball teams of 1949 and 1950. Those teams finished fourth and third respectively after beating much larger teams such as Des Moines East and Sioux City. During WWII, his teaching career was put on hold while he taught future airmen stateside with the Air Force. It was while he was at Winfield that he met a cute office secretary by the name of Norma Ross Swan and they soon married on June 2, 1948, at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Orrie and Norma raised their four children in Winfield and Iowa City. They were often seen together even during those busy years, and after retirement they were seldom seen apart. After his retirement in the fall of 1980 at age 65 he continued to stay active. He coached softball one more season and worked part time at Fairview Golf Course for the next ten years. At age 70 he also began coaching women's Track at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, remaining at that job for the next seven years. At age 75 he accepted an offer as clubhouse manager at Fairview Golf Course. He would keep that job for the next ten years, working right alongside his wife, Norma, five days a week. He also gave a few golf lessons while she worked inside. She always worked free so they could be together. Then after his 20 year stint at Fairview was over Orrie and Norma worked part time at a concession stand at North Dodge Athletic Club. That left him with the one teaching and coaching job that was innately his and never left him. That was teaching or coaching the family he loved and who loved him in return. Orrieʼs survivors include his wife, Norma; son, Dick Rew (Lynn) of Austin, TX from a previous marriage; daughter, Leora Houghton (Steve); sons, Ken (Ginny) Rew, Terry (Sue) Rew, Rob (Tracy) Rew, all of Iowa City; Grandchildren, Richard (Kristi) Rew and Carina Rew all of Austin, TX, Cari (Bob) Everhart, of Lawrence, KS, Jeff (Michelle) Houghton of Springfield, MO, Jon (Annie) Houghton of Indianapolis, IN, Scott Houghton, of Chicago, IL, Brad (Bridgette) Rew, Molly Rew, Matt, Sam and Mike Rew, all of Iowa City and Chris of Cedar Falls, Jeremy, Corey, and Katelyn Rew of Iowa City. Great-grandchildren, Zoey Rew, Jesús and Rosalía Escalera Rew, Madeleine Wehmeyer, Kylie, Nick, and Raelyn Houghton, Ella, Cole and Oscar Everhart, and Elias Houghton. Orrie was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and a sister.