Ira C. Messinger

SMSgt. (Ret) Ira C. Messinger passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, February 15, 2017, at the age of 84. He was born on February 22, 1932 in Stella, Nebraska the second of four children to the late Edgar Leon and Alma Marie Messinger.

They moved to the family farm in Braddyville, Iowa in 1946 where he graduated from Amity High School in College Springs, Iowa in 1949. He enlisted in the United States Air Force on March 8, 1950 as an Electronics Maintenance/Ground radio technician. He later transferred to serve with the Air Force Office of Special Investigation (OSI) where he served honorably for over 20 years and retired at the rank of Senior Master Sergeant.

On December 14, 1957, he married Betty Yvonne Adams in Hernando, Mississippi. They had 6 children-Kathy, Edgar Leon II, Larry Dean, Jeana, Patty, and Michelle.

Upon his retirement from the US Air Force in October 31, 1970, he began a second career with the White House Secret Service in Washington DC on November 1, 1970. In 1977, he left the Secret Service to move to Colorado Springs, Colorado to help care for his father Edgar, after the death of his mother, Marie.

While living in Colorado Springs he had the privilege of working with many fine people he knew as peers and friends at SafeTran, Fibercomm, and most recently for Traffic Signal Control.

He was also well known for his peanut brittle that he made every Christmas that he shared with everyone except for the recipe.

Ira is preceded in death by his parents, Edgar and Marie Messinger, two sisters – Agnes Richardson and Norma Whipple, his wife, Betty, two sons, Edgar Leon II and Larry Dean and a son-in-law, Dennis Madsen.

He is survived by sister, Hazel (Jay) Ringler of Colorado Springs, Colorado; his daughters, Kathy Madsen of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Jeana (Henry) Arroyo of Austin, Texas; Patty (Dennis) Steigerwalt of Clearfield, Utah; Michelle (Randy) Ellis of Oakland, Illinois and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Visitation will take place Tuesday, February 21, 2017, from 11:30 to 12:30 with a Celebration of life service at 12:30 at Swan-Law Funeral Directors, 501 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Spring, Colorado. Private burial will take place in Oakland, Illinois.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society in honor of his sons, Edgar Leon Messinger II and Dennis Madsen.