Lowell Waybill

LOWELL WAYBILL

Cedar Rapids

Lowell Waybill, 81, of Cedar Rapids, died Thursday, March 26, 2015, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City, due to complications from surgery. A visitation will be held from 4 until 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1,

at Cedar Memorial Park Funeral Home. A celebration of life "rum and Coke party" will be held in Lowell's honor at a later date.

Lowell was born Jan. 21, 1934, on the family farm in Bloomfield, Iowa, to Edith (Kinsler) and Arthur Waybill. He graduated from Moulton-Udell High School and attended Kirksville State Teachers College.

Lowell served honorably in the United States Army where he was stationed at Fort Lewis in Washington state. He was married to Marilyn (Smothers) Schmidt. They were later divorced. Lowell had been married to Nancy (Chapel) Waybill for the last 38 years.

Lowell had been employed at Quaker Oats and later at Rockwell Collins, where he was a test technician for 30 years, retiring in 1989. He also worked for Happy Bright's TV Service in Cedar Rapids for many years and eventually bought the business from Hap and ran it for many more.

After retirement, he worked at numerous jobs, including Kirkwood Community College, Frontier Herbs and Iowa Express Delivery Service.

Being a farm boy from Missouri, he was a "jack-of-all-trades" and could fix most anything. He enjoyed helping family and neighbors fixing (or trying to fix) electronics and finding odd jobs to work on in the yard with his son. He also liked taking his dog, Swazie, for a "walk" down the boulevard on the scooter. He thoroughly loved his home and life on the river.

Lowell is survived by his wife, Nancy; five children from his first marriage, Dyanna Conner, Myron (Diane) Waybill, Connie (Mark) Petersen and Ronnie (Lisa) Waybill, all of Cedar Rapids, and Sheila Waybill Kauffman of Marion; nine grandchildren, Dawn Noska, Casey Conner, Jamie Waybill, Aaron Henderson, Aaron Courtney, Shane Waybill, Melanie Waybill, Summer Hagy and Sam Elgin; and several great-grandchildren. Also surviving are three brothers, Jack (Linda) Waybill of Atkins, Loyd "Mac" (Connie) Waybill of Willow Springs, Mo., and Donnie Joe (Janet) Waybill of Kirksville, Mo.; and two sisters, Kathy (Max) Tipton of Newton and Adryth (Robert) Wall of Waltham, Mass.

He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers, Kenneth and Bill.

Memorials in Lowell's name may be directed to the family.

Online condolences may be left at www.cedar memorial.com.