116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Obituaries
The Gazette publishes obituaries on a daily basis. Use the search field above to search for obituaries by name or keyword. Readers can submit an obituary or submit a milestone to The Gazette. The obituary must be submitted before 1 p.m. for publication on thegazette.com at 6 p.m. and in the daily edition the next day, with the exception of obituaries for Sunday publication, which must be submitted by 1 p.m. on Fridays.
Robert Levi McFarland
ROBERT LEVI MCFARLAND
Ely
Robert Levi McFarland,
46, of Ely, passed away on Tuesday, March 23, 2021, while performing his duties as a Correctional Officer at Anamosa State Penitentiary in Anamosa, Iowa. Public visitation will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 28, 2021, at Brosh Chapel and The Avacentre in Cedar Rapids, located at 2121 Bowling St. SW. Celebration of Life services will be at 1 p.m. Monday, March 29, 2021, at Antioch Christian Church, located at 433 Cross Road, Marion, IA 52302. Burial will follow in Czech National Cemetery. All guests attending should wear masks and practice social distancing.
Robert was born Aug. 12, 1974, in Vinton, the son of John and Cathie (Vest) McFarland. Robert graduated from Independence High School, Class of 1993. He worked as a counselor with Four Oaks in Independence, also serving as a volunteer with the Oelwein Fire Department and Ambulance. Later he worked at U.S. Cellular in Marion, where he met his future wife, Sara Montague. Their son Casen Levi McFarland was born March 30, 2008. Bob and Sara were married in June of 2010, where he welcomed his new sons, Colten Apfelbeck and Zach Barrett. He began working at ASP as a Correctional Officer in October of 2008. He joined the Ely Fire Department in 2017, where he became 3rd Lieutenant in 2019. Bob enjoyed spending time at his second home, the Ely Fire Station, as well as tinkering with many different forms of technology. Family time was very important, and he looked forward to having his nieces and nephews visit.
Robert is survived by his wife, Sara; children, Colten, Zach and Casen; his mom, Cathie (Jim) Struck of Marion; his siblings, Angie McFarland of Brandon, Kayleen LaPointe of Afton and David (Brenda) McFarland of Washburn; his mother and father-in-law, Beverly and Gary Montague of Cedar Rapids; sisters-in-law, Katie Montague (Bill McKenna) and Gina (Matthew) Anderson, both of Shellsburg; and his nieces and nephews, Jackson and Kylie Anderson, Liam McKenna, Abby Brown, Zach LaPointe and Katie Maneely.
He was preceded in death by his dad, John; and his grandparents, Harvey and Pearl (Jungling) McFarland, Bob and Alberta Vest, and Marie "Babi" and Arnold Fields.
Memorials may be directed to the Robert McFarland Memorial Fund.
Online condolences may be expressed to the family at www.broshchapel.com
Daily Newsletters