Marion Residents Included in Notable Deaths List for 2012

Three Marion residents who made their mark on the community were included in the Gazette's memorial of notable deaths in 2012.

Craig “Motorcat” Phillip Wander, 59, passed away in August after a battle with cancer. His elaborate outdoor model train layouts that changed with the seasons were a treat for the community.

"He had three train layouts, two that went through the steps and completely around the house and one that went around his waterfall in the backyard. He loved working on his trains and running them for anyone who wanted to see them," his obituary said. "His big claim to fame was his Halloween train. He and his family would decorate the yard and he would transform his train to complement the scenery."

Lumir E. Dostal Jr., 76, of Cedar Rapids who previously lived in Marion, died on Dec. 26. The 1954 Marion High grad and 1961 Iowa State University grad was the first Republican in 22 years elected to a seat on the Linn County Board of Supervisor when he was voted in in 1994, according to the Gazette. He served from 1995 to 2002.

Perry James Walton, 69, of Marion, died in September. During his career he was a police officer for the Oelwein and Cedar Rapids Police Departments and spent over 15 years as a police helicopter pilot. After retiring he devoted his energy to his aviation business, P & N Flight Charter, a flight school which he moved to the Marion Airport. Perhaps his most notable contribution is after purchasing the Marion Airport he developed it with asphalt runway and multiple enclosed hangars. The airport became the only full service, privately owned, public use airport with asphalt runways in Iowa, according to the Gazette.