Memories of my Uncle Marlin go back to my childhood when my family loaded up on many July 4th vacations to make the long trip to Eau Gallie, Fla. Uncle Marlin always greeted us with a smile and quiet voice. He and my dad fished, played softball and played pool for hours. Dad couldn't believe Uncle Marlin had a pool table in his house.   Uncle Marlin and Aunt Nell loved getting family together. Family cruises were planned almost yearly that were never forgotten.  Uncle Marlin had a video camera years before any other family member back when they were so heavy but he captured unbelievable moments. One such memory was Joy pushing her doll stroller with her cat wearing a bonnet and doll dress throughout the house. I remember Uncle Marlin at my Ft. Stewart retirement and stopping by on the trips to the mountain house. My last and most cherished memory was during Hurricane Irma last September when he, Aunt Nell, and Debbie evacuated and spent several days with me.  Although Uncle Marlin was in declining health, he would have a smile on his face as he looked at Aunt Nell and would repeat numerous times, "I love you,Nell. 
This would bring tears to my eyes as this was such a long, heartfelt love. They were meant to be with each other, to love and cherish till death did they part. Uncle Marlin had a life well lived and I will miss him until we meet again in Heaven.


     Marlin has been in my life ever since I was a young teenager.  He loved my sister, Nell.  They had been married only a few years when I came to live with them.  In my eyes they were one.  I have a hard time thinking of one without the other. Marlin welcomed me into their family and took on the role of big brother/father to me. He seemed to love to tease me about having a boyfriend and talking on their house phone for hours.  That was before “call waiting” so it definitely tied up their calls.  
     One time I poured candle wax down the kitchen sink when I was making candles.  Why didn’t I know better??  Marlin had a job cleaning out the drain but he never complained.  He did cringe a little when I left his battery charger plugged in too long and it melted.  But who could blame him??  I was glad it didn’t burn down the house.  Marlin also cringed a little when my little son picked all the oranges off his trees thinking they were “lemons” like we had in our yard in Puerto Rico. Again, I saw Marlin cringe but he quickly managed a smile, a pat on the head, and a thank you for 8 year old Ricky. But I never heard Marlin complain. That’s who he was.
     One of my favorite memories was when he walked me down the aisle to marry Joe.  I was so proud. Years later when I thanked him for making a difference in my life and opening his heart and home to me, he acted like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to do.   That’s who Marlin was in addition to being a veteran and fighting for our country and a real WWII POW hero. I felt honored to get to attend some of his WWII reunions with him, Nell and Debbie.   That’s the Marlin I knew and loved.  That’s who he was!!  I will miss him.  Rest In Peace, Marlin.


My very first memory of Marlin was eighteen years ago when we were in the Bahamas.  Marlin and I were outside sitting under the gazebo talking.  He said sitting under that gazebo was his favorite place to sit.  Marlin talked at how beautiful it was to look out at the ocean and the beauty of it.  What a special person he was.

One of the first memories with Marlin was a couple of years after I was out of high school (over fifty years ago).  Nell and Marlin was visiting in Elberton and asked if I would like to follow them back to Florida to visit with them.  I was excited since I had never been on many trips before and I had a week of vacation coming.  They made me feel so special visiting in their home.  I remember we had a drive up the coast and it was interesting how Marlin was telling me how different the coast was and what wasn't there just a few years before.  He also pointed out how fast everything was building and growing.
     At that time I had seen the ocean only a few times.  I love to fish and had been fishing lots of times but only in rivers and small lakes.  Marlin wanted to carry me fishing, so I was all for that.  He had his boat serviced and wanted me to go with him to get it.  I thought we would hook it to the vehicle and pull it home.  That is not what we did.  It was so cool that we could put it in the water and drive it right to their back yard.  That way we were set to get an early start the next morning.  I do not remember how many we caught but it was fun.  Marlin wanted to make sure I had a good time.  I really enjoyed myself the whole time I visited.  He did not produce much idle talk.  When he said something it had meaning and you could believe it.  The time went by so fast that when it was time for me to go, I couldn't believe it.  Marlin was a very smart man and loved his family. I will always remember and miss him.   My prayers are with all the family and friends.

My memories of Marlin are numerous. Visits were always fun with him making sure we got tours on land and in the boat--both at the Sun Circle and Merritt Island homes. Once he knew that Randy shared the love of the water that he and I did; he loved taking us out fishing. He loved to show us the growth of the area when I was young because he and Nell moved there prior to the upward spiral of the area. My interest in real estate intrigued him in my adult years so he loved to show me new things going on and how it would affect the area economy. I never recall asking if it was OK for me to visit. I just let Nell and Marlin know so I could make sure they didn’t have plans. Even if they had plans, I was added to those plans. That kind of warmth and love is my favorite memory. I took my best friend for a week when I was thirty. Marlin was home from his contract traveling job most of our visit. He stayed up late with us just chatting and loved that two females were such serious Braves fans. He, however, really enjoyed eating candy bars and junk food with us while watching baseball since Nell did not encourage junk food. Nell still worked at the courthouse, so she retired early at night. He was like a kid when we broke out our stash of junk food. That memory still makes me giggle. I could not have asked for a kinder UNCLE that truly welcomed me into their home. I will miss you, Marlin, but I treasure and appreciate the wonderful memories. 

     Marlin was a gentleman and a gentle man. He was soft spoken, but when he spoke, everyone knew to listen. There was always such wisdom in those  words. 
     When our families would get together, he would always make me feel special and loved. He always made sure we were entertained and had a good time as children.
     I am praying for Aunt Nell, Debbie, Kimberly, and Jason. You were truly blessed to have had this great man in your lives. I pray your special memories of such a special man will help you get through this time.


We did not visit as often as we wish we had but there was never a doubt how welcome I always felt when we did visit. It seems that you shared more with GF about your days in the service than you did with others. He always enjoyed your time together. I have many more years of memories of time spent with you watching you as a father allowing my three kids and your two to have the best time possible when they were little and together. You never seemed to mind all the noise and activity. A special memory is when Greg got sick at our house while Nell and I were shopping. I came home to find you on the porch rocking him and comforting him in a fatherly way. It does my mother’s heart good to have a memory like that to hold onto. Later, I got to see you as a Papa to Jason and Kimberly with your heart so full of love. That heart really was full when you became a great grandfather (Papa) to Maia. There was never a doubt from the early years that you loved your family and as a sister in law I was family to you. Our visits always ended either with a wish that we could stay longer or a question of when we would be back. In-laws are not always made to feel as welcome as we felt coming for a visit and staying as long as we could. Thank you for the memories and we will visit again one day in our heavenly homes.  

THERE IS NOT ENOUGH WORDS TO TELL YOU ABOUT HOW MARLIN WAS A KIND WONDERFUL MAN AND BROTHER IN-LAW. MARLIN WOULD GO OUT OF HIS WAY TO DO ANY THING TO HELP YOU. MY FONDEST MEMORIES OF MARLIN WAS WHEN I SPENT THE SUMMER OF 1957  I WAS 12 YRS OLD WOULD ALWAYS TAKE UP FOR ME NO MATTER WHAT I DID I WILL MISS MARLIN AND THANK HIM FOR HIS SERVICE WHEN HE FOUGHT FOR HIS COUNTRY. THANK YOU MARLIN! I LOVE YOU!

Crystal, I smiled when I read your memory.  I remember how much I enjoyed looking at the manatees and dolphins with Uncle Marlin in their beautiful backyard.   (Especially when they had the 2 story dock and we could see further!)  That's something an Arkansan would never see otherwise.  He would often take us out in the boat when we visited, as he did on Sun Circle when I was a stupid kid and it didn't occur to me that he may not have had the time.  But he made the time anyway and was always so gracious about it.  I was so impressed with how patient and slow he would go, being careful not to hurt the manatees, and telling us about them.  He was a generous and thoughtful person.  He knew when and where they would be and would let me know ahead of time so we could go out on the dock and get pictures.  When I was older, I didn't want to ask and inconvenience him but he did it on his own and acted so happy to be able to share it all.  But we didn't talk about the meaningful things you mentioned.  He was so quiet and soft-spoken that I didn't ask questions about the war because I didn't want to bring back bad memories.  But now I wish I had talked less and listened more because he had so much to share.  He had such an extraordinary life and I didn't fully understand and appreciate everything he did during his time as an engineer with GE and his work at the Space Center. Awesome and so impressive.  He was a humble man.   He was like a father to my mom since she was 14 and like a Grandpa to me.    Aunt Nell, Debbie, and the rest of the family - I hope happy memories bring you comfort.  Kim, what a very sweet picture of your Papa with Maia and such a wonderful memory!

I will miss so much my visits with you as we stared out onto the beautiful Indian River Lagoon.  Every time I stepped out to take in that gorgeous view, you were right there with me, happy to have someone else who appreciated it as much as you. Those were the times I got to hear about growing up in Wisconsin, your time in the service, your love for your family and your appreciation for the life you built. These are the moments  that I will always treasure. I am blessed to have joined your family and to have known such an incredible man. RIP Papa, we will always love and remember you. 

Seeing you with Maia will forever be one of my favorite memories. She still asks to go see Mawmaw & Papa whenever we are in the car.  Papa, you will always be in my heart and on my mind. We love you so much. 


AVIS DE DÉCÈS

Marlin O. Gehrke

30 mai 1923 – 24 avril 2018

Life Event Center at Florida Memorial Gardens

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