Marvel Land

Marvel Land, age 90, of Aurora, passed away Tuesday, January 10, 2012, at the Memorial Hospital.

Funeral Services will be held 2:00 P.M. Friday, January 13th at the Higby-McQuiston Chapel in Aurora. Interment will be at the Aurora Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 - 8 P.M. Thursday at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.

OBITUARY: MARVEL LAND

Marvel Ronald Land was born December 27, 1921 to Harvey and Lulu (Strawn) Land. Marvel was the second eldest of 4 children that were born to this union. When Marvel was a young boy, his parents moved from northern Hamilton County, to homestead in the sand hills near Rose, Nebraska. Marvel was educated in the ranch home, as one room of the home was used as a public school house, and then in the winters they moved to Taylor where he went to school.

Times were financially difficult prior to WWII, so Marvel went out to the Brighton, Colorado area to work in the sugar beet fields, and it was there that he was drafted into the Army. His orders for induction were issued in August 1942. He went to the Headquarters 316th Medical Battalion at Camp Adair, Oregon for basic training. Marvel was a medic, truck driver, and jack of all trades in his military duties. He served in the following battles and campaigns: GO 33 WD 45, Rome-Arno, North Apennines and PO Valley. He had many good conduct and sharp shooter medals. Marvel received his Honorable Discharge from the Separation Center in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in November 1945. Marvel was extremely proud of his service to his country.

On December 3, 1945 he married Betty L. Grigsby of Aurora, in Smith Center, Kansas. They both worked out and started residing and farming southwest of Marquette, Nebraska on the Jack Hartnell farm. They had two children, Dennis and Mary while living on this farm. In the spring of 1952 they had the opportunity to move and begin farming the Harold Stark Farm located just 5 miles north of Aurora. Marvel also began farming the Kay Gerloff farm a few years later. Along with farming, Marvel also raised Hereford cattle. He enjoyed selling his calves and cows at the Burwell Livestock Market. He enjoyed riding his paint horse “Mick” to check his cows. In his younger years of farming, he was always making extra money by trucking the neighbor’s hogs or cows to Omaha, or hauling corn for someone.

Marvel lost his left eye to an accident while building fence in 1958. It took him a while to adapt to just one eye, but after he did, his farm/crop rows and fence lines were as straight as they could be. He insisted on the irrigation pipe to be perfectly straight, as he was the king of irrigating. He loved to irrigate his crops. He was also a master of knowing how to move buildings, gutting and rebuilding buildings for new uses.

Marvel retired from farming in 1998 due to a heart attack. He turned all the barn yards into sweet corn and potato gardens, and enjoyed selling his produce at the farmers market in Aurora and also right on the farm.

Marvel had some tough health situations the last 10 years, and with his daughter’s help, he came thru West Nile, serious double pneumonia, bladder cancer and a couple falls at home.

Marvel recently celebrated his 90th birthday on December 27th. He had a grand event with many friends and family joining him for his party, and others remembering him with birthday cards.

Preceding him in death, were his parents, his brother, Charlie, and his sisters Mildred and Marjean, and his son Dennis.

Those left to cherish Marvel’s memory is his wife, Betty of Aurora; his daughter Mary Land and her husband Charley F. Moore of southwest Hamilton County; 5 Grandchildren (of Dennis’s) Janet Miller of Firth, Heather Telford of Scottsbluff, Derick Land of Aurora, Dustin Land of Lincoln, and Destiny Land of Aurora; 4 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews and a host of friends.