Memorial
Happy trails to David Joseph Maresh, avid horseback rider, dog rescuer and antique collector. David, 76, passed quietly and well cared for Tuesday morning at the Guttenburg Care Center after an extended illness. Born August 15, 1938 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the eldest son of Ellen Hannon Maresh and Donald Maresh is survived by younger sister Mary Ellen Maresh (John) Bickel, nieces Kristin Bickel (Kirby) Clark of Dubuque and Angela Maresh (Ben) Bowen of Ankeny, nephews JP (Larisa) Bickel of Cedar Rapids and Don (Mona) Maresh of Wellington, Colorado, great nephews, Jack and Will Bickel of Cedar Rapids and great nieces Abigail and Mirabella Clark of Dubuque. David is preceded in death by brother, Richard Maresh and great niece Olivia Clark.
David went through the Catholic school system in Cedar Rapids, and was active as an Eagle Scout. David attended Notre Dame, where he sang in the glee club, and graduated in 1960. He then joined the Army and served as a 2nd Lieutenant, stationed in Korea.
David returned to Cedar Rapids after the service and worked as a fourth generation Maresh in the family business, Maresh Sheet Metal Works, later acting as President of the company. David was active with Knights of Columbus and attended St. Pius Church.
He was an avid supporter of Camp Hitaga, donating covered wagons for use as "tents" for the campers. He helped clean up the camp and barn for summer, and spent over forty years on the Camp Fire Board. David's summer vacation passion was spent in Kansas with "Wagons Ho", a covered wagon train reenactment, crossing the countryside.
David loved animals, especially horses and black Labradors. Many times stray black labs would show up at his horsebarn and find a good home with him, great companionship and going to the shop with him every day. David loved his Western antiques, photographs and books from the western states.
David enjoyed talking to his customers at Maresh Sheet Metal, and going to the Tic Toc for lunch, a family tradition. He enjoyed sending cards to family and friends. We will miss his sense of humor. He will also be missed by his close friends Janis Moore of Indiana, and Barbie Hefner of Texas.