Marvin Charles Luke

Marvin ""Marv"" Luke, age 79, of Darwin passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Monday June 17, 2013 at Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, due to complications of heart surgery. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Monday June 24, 2013 at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, Ellsworth Township southwest of Darwin. Visitation will be from 5-8 PM on Sunday June 23rd at Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home, Litchfield and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church. Interment will be in the Ellsworth Community Cemetery with Military Honors by the Litchfield Military Honor Guard. Marvin Charles Luke, the son of Carl and Minnie (Prill) Luke, was born on October 26, 1933, in Long Prairie. He grew up in Long Prairie until the age of 14 when his family relocated to a farm near Delavan, MN. In the spring of his junior year his family moved to Litchfield. He graduated from Litchfield High School in 1951. He worked for two years on the family farm before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corp. Marv served his country for four years before returning to Meeker County to resume his love of the land and continued farming. On April 19, 1958, he was united in marriage to Anita ""Mickie"" Bauer of Delano at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Litchfield. Marv and Mick worked side by side on the farm throughout their 55 years of marriage. He was a member of St. Peter's Church and had served on the church board. He also served on the Ellsworth Township Board, the Meeker County Fair Board and was a life member of the VFW. He enjoyed snowmobiling, was a member of the Happy Ramblers RV Club and liked to go square dancing with Mick and their ""circle"" of friends. Marv was also a pilot and enjoyed flying to no place in particular or just ""taking someone for a ride"". He loved his machinery, working to keep it in tip-top condition and passing on his joy of driving machinery and his ""toys"" to his grandson Isaac. In the most recent years of retirement he would daily look forward to a call from ""Chrysler or 3-G's car dealerships and the fun conversation time with his fellow drivers while getting or delivering cars. Marv will be greatly missed by us all. He is survived by his wife Mick of Darwin; daughters Debra Luke (fiancé Jim Coleman) of Independence, and Diane ""DeDe"" (Dennis) Spindler of Plymouth; grandchildren Emily and Isaac Spindler; sister Joyce Templeton of Crystal, nieces, nephews and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Luella Greenlee.Previous Events Visitation Sunday, June 23, 2013 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Johnson-Hagglund Funeral Home 316 Sibley Avenue South Litchfield, MN 55355 Visitation Monday, June 24, 2013 2:00 PM - 2:45 PM St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church 20314 CSAH 9 Darwin, MN 55324 Visitation Monday, June 24, 2013 2:45 PM Ellsworth Cemetery Ellsworth Township, MN