George Nowlan

GEORGE H. NOWLAN

Cedar Rapids

George H. Nowlan, 81, of Cedar Rapids, lover of '40s music, smooth roads, Western movies, Iowa Hawkeyes and good card games, passed away Wednesday, May 11, 2016, at the Hospice House of Mercy after a brief challenge with cancer.

Born Jan. 30, 1935, in Marshalltown, Iowa, he grew up during some very hard years. He learned from his father, George H. Nowlan Sr., how to work hard, shuffle cards like a professional and make outstanding divinity, peanut brittle and other Christmas treats. From his mother, Josephine Lena (Kutter), he learned how to pray, set an excellent table, and always have good food, especially sugar cookies and cherry pies, ready for company. He had a younger sister, Barbara Freese, who passed away in 2004, and an older sister, Lois Damman (Marshalltown), who can recall on demand many shenanigans pulled on the farm, but also stories of a brother, who was strong and loving through the years.

George walked to and from the local country school, both ways uphill, and then graduated from Colo High School after a self-reported stellar career on the football and track fields and basketball court. Shortly after high school, he joined the U.S. Army to lend a hand, but didn't like the camping well enough to make a career there. He headed straight back home clutching his discharge papers, attended Coe College, then spent a brief amount of time driving a truck, where he discovered the roads in Iowa were in desperate need of his formidable assistance.

He began his lifelong devotion to a smooth ride at the Iowa Highway Commission, then jumped to the private sector joining the team, the company and the business he grew to love, L.L. Pelling Co. Inc.

When it came to paving, George was one of the best in the business, and he loved doing it. His favorite advice to any young person (and frequent guidance to his grandchildren), "You have to love your work." The man in Car 5 regaled the office with yellow pads, slide rules and stories of which you could be sure 50 percent were true. You just never knew which 50 percent. His wit and dedication earned him a place at the helm of L.L. Pelling, as well as the presidency of the Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa (APAI) in 2000.

After retiring, George was honored with entry into Iowa's Hot Mix Asphalt Hall of Fame for his work, both for the Iowa Asphalt Industry and the Asphalt Paving Association of Iowa.

He met Martha Ann "Marty" (Lyons) at a dance he was attending with another girl. The little Irish girl stole the last dance and his heart, and there was no turning back. They married Dec. 26, 1959, at Sacred Heart Church in St. Anthony, Iowa, creating a lifelong partnership.

Blessed with a strong family, together they enjoyed travel (and gambling) with friends, Saturdays of sports, winter sunsets and shrimp in Texas and then later years of tender caregiving and patience.

George was most proud that he and Marty were able to pave the road a little smoother for those they loved the most: his daughters, Julia (Jack) Carey, Freeport, Ill., and Mary Beth (Naoki) Takao, Tokyo, Japan; along with his grandchildren, Grandpa's Big Truck and Hired Man, Sean (Ashley) Carey, Cedar Rapids; his fashion consult and princess, Tracy Carey, Cedar Falls; and his ballerina / Hy-Vee advisor Aisha Takao, Brussels, Belgium; the latest apple of his eye, great-granddaughter, Emerson Carey, Cedar Rapids; and many cherished nieces, nephews and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to one of the charities George admired and supported in his life: Camp Courageous or Special Olympics Iowa.

Finally, the family asks that in honor of George you write your senator and/or representative and ask the Iowa Road Use Tax Fund be used solely for the support of roads built with asphalt, America's MOST recycled product.

A vigil service will be Monday at 4 p.m. at Teahen Funeral Home, where friends may visit with the family from 4 to 6 p.m. Funeral service will be Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. at St. Patrick Catholic Church, with visitation starting at 9:30 a.m. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m. at St. Joseph Cemetery, State Center.

Online condolences may be left at www.teahenfuneralhome.com.