Marlys Ann (Knights) Garber

MARSHALLTOWN - Marlys Ann (Knights) Garber passed away July 19, 2025.

Marlys will be laid to rest in the Vienna Township Cemetery in rural northeast Marshall County, not far from where she grew up, lived, and raised her family. Visitation will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. on Monday, July 28 at Abels Funeral and Cremation Service in Grundy Center. A graveside service will take place on Tuesday, July 29 at 10:30 a.m. at Vienna Cemetery with lunch following at the Memorial Hall in Beaman.

Marlys Ann (Knights) Garber was born Nov. 23, 1939, to Gilbert and Helen (Koehler) Knights in Marshalltown. She was raised on the family farm four miles north of Green Mountain and started her education in the Vienna No. 6 one room schoolhouse located on the corner of the Knights farm just a half mile east of the family home. When she reached seventh grade she started attending school in Green Mountain, graduating in 1957. She met a boy named Dwayne on the school bus who lived just over the hill south of her home.

After graduating high school she attended AIB in Des Moines then worked for Lennox Industry in Marshalltown in the purchasing department. Then she moved to Ames, where she worked at WOI TV station until marrying her high school sweetheart on Dec. 27, 1959. They spent the following 65-plus years working as a team to create a great life together. They raised five children: Dori (Dave) Sharp, Scott (Kristy), Rob (Gena), Matt (Kristen), and Molly (Dan) Lent.

Marlys spent much of her time creating a loving home for the family. She followed Dwayne out to Vernal, Utah where they lived for four years exploring the mountains and having many adventures before coming back home. They built a home in 1968 on a parcel of the family farm along the highway. They lived in that home for 49 years before moving to Conrad.

She loved crafts, quilting, sewing, spending time at the family cabin on Deer Lake in northern Minesota and music (she was a member of the Sweet Adelines barber shop chorus for 20 years). She was a great cook, always planning meals, clipping recipes, organizing and sharing recipes. Usually at the cabin, the family would not even be finished eating all her pancakes before she would start planning what the menu would be for dinner. And of course, she loved keeping track of and telling anyone who would listen about her 11 grandkids, Clay Smith, Tyler Smith, Jilia (Sharp) Dooley, Jonathan Sharp, Zoe (Garber) Lambert, Grace Garber, Katie Garber, Daniel Garber, Sarah Garber, Will Garber, Jack Garber, Elizabeth Garber, Samual Garber. She was also blessed with 11 great grandchildren with one on the way.

She lovingly sewed quilts for each of her grandchildren for high school graduation gifts.

Marlys is survived by a sister, Cathy (Steve) Harmon, brother-in-law Steve Miller and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and sister Joan Miller.