September 13, 1939, Appleton Post-Crescent
It seems young Mr. Marx was quite the baseball aficionado, being the best athlete on the field as well as having an all-consuming passion for the game. And as his obituary below will show, baseball continued to be a vital part of his life, even after his heroic service in World War II. Without the war in the midst of his prime years, who knows how far he might have moved up in his big league dream. Instead, he made it as far as Class A ball, an admirable feat in an era where there still were Class, B, C, and D leagues, from which he began his minor league career.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elzer Marx
The Commercial-News
The Commercial-News
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Elzer was born April 21, 1925, in Menasha, Wis., the son of Edward and Cecelia (Konkol) Marx.
He joined the U.S. Navy in 1942 and served three years as an aerial navigator and officer in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Following his military service, Elzer signed a contract to play professional baseball in the Chicago Cubs minor league system.
Elzer earned his BA from Northwestern State University in Nachitosis, La., and his MS from the U of I, Urbana. In 1953, he became sports director for WITY radio and moved to Danville. He later became the general manager. He will be remembered by many for his play-by-play broadcasts of U of I football. Following his radio career, he was employed as a national sales representative with Peterson-Puritan and later General Electric. He retired in 2005 after a 30-year career in real estate.
Elzer married Marjorie (Burmeister) Nussear on Feb. 15, 1974, in Danville. She survives. Also surviving are three children, Christy Marx (Randy Littlejohn) of San Mateo, Calif., Eric Marx of Ashville, N.C., and Max Marx (Angela) of Peru, Ill.; and six grandchildren, Keaton, Brittany, Alexa, Ashli, Adriaan and Max.
Elzer was a loving husband, father and grandfather. His family will greatly miss his love, wisdom, support and sense of humor.
Elzer was active in the Danville community, coaching youth baseball, teaching part-time at DACC, and serving in many capacities at the Tennis Center, Kiwanis Club, Planning Commission, Vermilion Hills Country Club and other local organizations. He served as the master of ceremonies for many special events and will be remembered for his wit and sense of humor.
A celebration of life service will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, A Life Celebration Home, in Danville, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Per his wishes, cremation rites will be accorded. Pastor Drew Mentzer will officiate. Graveside services will follow at the National Cemetery.
The family wishes to thank the staff at Pleasant Meadows Christian Village and the VA for their loving care.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Danville Tennis Center or the Alzheimer’s Association.
No comments:
Post a Comment