Obituary of Marlo Frederick Knock

 Marlo Frederick Knock, second child of Andy and Margaret Fredricka (Peters) Knock, was born February 25, 1930, on his parents’ farm southeast of Melvin, Iowa. He spent his entire life in the Melvin area, attending school there and graduating from Melvin High School with the class of 1948.

    In January of 1952, Marlo began serving his country with the United States Marine Corps. His tour of duty took him overseas earning him the Korean Service Medal with three battle stars, the China Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the United Nations Service Medal. He was honorably discharged on December 29, 1953, and returned home to Melvin.

    Family and friends gathered at the American Lutheran Church in Melvin on Wednesday, August 5, 1959, for the wedding ceremony uniting Marlo and Wilma Jean Schaefer. The couple lived in Hartley, Iowa for a short time and then moved to the Knock family farm southeast of Melvin where Marlo farmed with his older brother, Virgil, and later, with his son and wife, Brent and Jessica Knock. Marlo was truly a farmer at heart; he had learned at a young age how to manage, and deal with, the challenges involved with agriculture, the satisfaction of bringing in the harvest and the hope for a good crop every spring. He enjoyed caring for all growing things and found tending livestock to be a gratifying accomplishment.

    Marlo was a lifelong member of the American Lutheran Church in Melvin and had belonged to the American Legion Post #470 for over 65 years. He had served as Post commander several times and acted as Sergeant at Arms for many years, calling out marching orders at the Memorial Day Services held at Baker Cemetery near Melvin.

    On Friday, November 10, 2023, Marlo was called home to be with loved ones who had gone before; he was 93 years of age. There to greet him were his wife, Wilma (2007); his parents, Andy and Margaret Knock; brothers: Virgil Knock and Bruce Knock; his sister, Marilyn Damman; brothers-in-law: Darrel Schaefer and Bud Wiser; and sister-in-law, Thelma Wiser.

    He is survived by his son and his wife, Brent and Jessica Knock of Royal, Iowa; granddaughters: Tari and her husband, James Svoboda, and their children, Vienna and Edmund all of Sioux City, Iowa, and Justice Knock of Royal, Iowa; brother-in-law, Bob Damman of Sanborn, Iowa; sisters-in-law: Shirley Knock of Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Marilyn Jorgensen of Sioux City, Iowa; many beloved nieces and nephews; other relatives and friends.