Obit - Myron Marty, former deputy director of education programs at National Endowment for the Humanities
Myron August "Mike" Marty was born April 10, 1932, and died Tuesday (July 16, 2019) surrounded by his children and beloved wife of 65 years, Shirley. Their love was the cornerstone of his life.
Mike Marty was born to Emil and Anna Louise in West Point, Neb., the youngest of three. A son of a Lutheran schoolteacher, he excelled at school and sport. He attended Concordia College, River Forest, where he met Shirley. In their early years together, Mike taught, coached and played church organ to support their growing family, first in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he was a third- and fourth-grade teacher at Trinity Lutheran School, and then in St. Louis, where he taught at Lutheran High School Central from 1957 to 1965. After receiving his Ph.D. from St. Louis University in 1966, he joined the faculty of Florissant Valley Community College, where he served as professor of history and chair of the Division of Social Sciences for many years. In 1980, he accepted a position as deputy director of education programs at National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington D.C. In 1984, he became dean of arts and sciences at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, and later the Ann G. and Sigurd E. Anderson University Professor.
In 2002, he and Shirley retired to Monticello to be near family. His work includes studies of American religious and social history, the presidencies of Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln and the history of Taliesin, the community of architects and artists established by Frank Lloyd Wright early in the 20th century. He reviewed books for the St Louis Post Dispatch for 35 years.
He was predeceased by an infant son, Michael David, and a sister, Mildred Marty Burger.
He is survived by his wife, Shirley; brother, Martin E. Marty; daughters, Miriam Marty Clark (Drew) and Elizabeth Bertolini (John); sons, Timothy Marty (Ann) and Jason Marty (Marla); grandchildren, Emma, Mary, Paul, Matthew, Michael, Philip, Leah, Anna Louise and Joshua; great-grandchildren, Margaret, Jane, Henry and Jack; and many nephews, nieces and friends.
A memorial service will be held at Grace Lutheran Church, Champaign, on Saturday, July 20, at 11 a.m. with a reception following.
In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorial gifts may be made to Grace Lutheran Church, gracelutherancu.org, or to Friends of the Drake Arts, drake.edu/friends. Condolences may be sent to the family at mackey-wrightfuneralhome.com.