Gary Molle

GARY MOLLE

Marion

Gary Molle, 61, of Marion, went to be with his Lord and Savior on May 10, 2017, after a long battle with leukemia.

A Celebration of Life will be held at Antioch Christian Church, where Gary was an active member, on Sunday, May 21, at 2 p.m. The church is located at 433 Cross Rd. in Marion.

He is survived by his wife of nearly eight years, Daniele "Dannie" Molle; his sons, Daniel Molle (Valentina) of Weibenthurm, Germany, and Nicholas Molle of San Jose, Calif.; his mother, Lucille Molle, his sister, Cheryl Molle, and his brother, Sal Molle, all of Colonia, N.J.; his sister, Laura Molle (Marcy Dubinsky) of Kissimmee, Fla.; his sister, Lydia Hayes (Tim) of Orlando, Fla.; as well as his three beautiful grandchildren, Gideon, Louisa and Gavin.

He was preceded in death by his firstborn son, Alex, of Concord, Calif.; as well as his father, Anthony Molle.

Gary attended Colonia High School in New Jersey and joined the U.S. Navy shortly after graduation. He served mostly in Europe and was honorably discharged early to help care for his son, Alex, who was born with cystic fibrosis.

Gary used the skills learned in the Navy to secure employment at Kaiser Electronics in San Jose, which eventually became part of Rockwell Collins. He worked as a failure analysis technician in the C.A.M.E.L. Lab. In 2009, when Rockwell Collins elected to close its San Jose facility, they recognized the value of this tenured tech, and made a way for Gary to join the team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Gary worked at Rockwell for 34 years. He was well liked and respected by his peers and supervisors for his vast knowledge in his industry, his dedication to excellence and to mentoring the next generation.

Gary was married to Melanie Blum for almost 25 years when she passed away in the summer of 2008. Together they raised two sons and lived in San Jose.

Gary met his bride, Dannie, in January 2009 on Match.com. That year, they met, fell in love, got engaged in March, got married in September and accepted Rockwell Collins' offer to relocate in December. They both believed that God had brought them together as part of His plan for each of them. They settled in Marion in February 2010 to continue their adventure.

He loved singing Karaoke, watching TV and movies, as well as flying remote control helicopters with his best friend. But his favorite pastime by far was "Dinging Steel": target shooting. He loved to hone his skills at local ranges and help others do the same. He was a patient teacher to many in this sport.

Gary was a man of strong conviction. He knew what he believed in and stood firm in it. That applied to many areas of his life, including politics, but none was more important than his faith. Gary was a man of great faith and served as a prayer partner for many years both at the Home Church in San Jose and at Antioch Christian Church in Marion. He had a great love for God and was grateful for Jesus' redeeming work on the cross on his behalf. Because of that sacrifice, Gary knew without a doubt where he would spend eternity.

He will be dearly missed by his family and many friends.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation at www.cff.org or by contacting your local chapter in Des Moines at (515) 252-1530.