Marty Panther

MARTY PANTHER

6/28/1952 – 12/15/2015

Iowa City

A Celebration of Life service for Marty Panther will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service, Iowa City. Father Ed Fitzpatrick will officiate. A reception for family and friends will be at Terry Trueblood Lodge following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Johnson County Crisis Center for Suicide Prevention, 1121 Gilbert Ct., Iowa City, IA 52240 or the Castaway Disabilities Program, Eagles Club, 225 Hwy 1 W., Iowa City, IA 52246.

Few people immersed themselves in the stream of life with more enthusiasm than Marty. He was a passionate connoisseur of quality family time, the natural environment, dinners off the beaten path and cheap, smelly cigars.

He cherished his two children, Emily and Thomas, and introduced them to the back roads of the United States, searching out obscure Civil War sites with Thomas and the most challenging hikes in national parks with Emily.

He loved biking – to his work, over the dunes in Cape Cod and with his VA buddies. Fishing trips to Canada with his best friend, George Sadewasser, became fodder for great adventure stories.

Lori, his wife of 27 years, learned early in their marriage the concept of "Marty Time." He always started out with such good intentions, but an interesting cloud formation, a new line of hot sauce in the supermarket, or a vague historical marker, all were quick to capture his attention and his time. Marty wasn't governed by anyone's clock.

Marty's quirky sense of humor benefited everyone he knew. As a consummate party planner, he filled family time by the river with complicated games, elaborate pageants, huge bonfires and firework displays. Everyone loved a "Marty Party." He was perfectly willing to don a gorilla suit in 100-degree heat or decorate his entire body with glow sticks if he knew it would bring a good laugh.

Marty's diverse interests ranged from scuba diving to collecting exotic daylilies. He approached each of his hobbies with a passionate enthusiasm for learning, enjoying them to the fullest, and sharing his excitement with others.

His gentle nature and deep compassion made him a treasured nurse at the Iowa City VA hospital, where he served the veterans for over 30 years. Passion for veteran services went well beyond the job for Marty. He dedicated time to Castaway Disabilities, a program that supported veterans with disabilities in enjoying the pleasures of fishing trips.

Marty's parents, Fritz and Fran Panther, had five sons. The boys and their wives (Steve and his wife, Janet; Dave and his wife, Roma; Bill and his wife, Cher; and Mike (deceased) and his wife, Mary), formed a tight knit family group that supported Marty and Lori during Marty's last year as he struggled with deep depression. In the end, depression took his life, but that darkness will not detract from a life filled with light and love and genuine pleasure at what this world had to offer.

Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.