Marita Ann (Flannery) McGurk Eicher

Marita Ann

(Flannery) McGurk Eicher

Iowa City

Marita Ann (Flannery) McGurk Eicher passed away peacefully in Iowa City on August 31, 2025, just before her 90th birthday.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, September 5, 2025 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Coralville, Iowa. Visitation will be Thursday, September 4, 2025 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Lensing Funeral Home in Iowa City, with a rosary at 3:30 p.m. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to Iowa City Free Lunch or St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

Marita was born September 20, 1935 in Oxford, Iowa the daughter of James and Marguerite (Kessler) Flannery. She graduated from Oxford High School and Mercy School of Nursing. In 1958, she married her high school sweetheart, Donald Daniel McGurk. They were co-owners of McGurk-Meyers Motors and The White House, a children’s boutique shop. Marita and her business partner, Brenna Davidson, were trail blazers; operating a women-owned business in the 1960s. Somehow Marita juggled raising four children and being a successful entrepreneur. After 24 years of marriage, Don died suddenly in 1982.

In 1988, Marita married Dr. Charles Eicher. She and Chuck shared many experiences in their 21 years together. Marita’s passions included volunteering, grandchildren and travel. She was active in many capacities at St. Thomas More, where she was a member since 1962 when church was held in an old quonset hut. Marita was a founding member of the Free Lunch Program, started in 1982. She also volunteered for many years at Mercy Hospital, Hancher Auditorium and Iowa City Hospice. Chuck and Marita volunteered with Mercy Clinics in Belize and St. Lucia. She traveled to Australia, China, Europe and many other destinations. A lifelong fan of the Hawkeyes, she was an early supporter of women’s basketball. In addition to spending time with grandchildren, Marita loved to socialize with friends and neighbors who brought joy to her life. Bright and vivacious until the end, she celebrated her life with family and friends during a brief stay at the Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County.

Marita is survived by daughters Carmelita (Gary) Nelson of Lindstrom, Minnesota, Ramona McGurk of Iowa City, Susan (Ray) Holliday of Klamath Falls, Oregon, and son Steve (Muffy) McGurk of Cedar Rapids, eight grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews. Together with Chuck she shared four stepchildren and 13 step-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by husbands Don McGurk and Chuck Eicher, her parents, sister Helen Halsch and brothers Robert Flannery and James Flannery.