Obituary of John Michael Marr

John Michael “Mike” Marr, 87, of Osage Beach, Missouri, loving husband, father, and grandfather, died peacefully on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Mike and his identical twin brother, George Patrick “Pat” Marr Jr., were born on March 26, 1933, to George Patrick Sr. and Eva Marie (née Berntsen) Marr of Weston, Missouri. The twins graduated from West Platte High School, Weston, in 1951. They both served in the US Navy as airship (blimp) radio airmen engaged in Atlantic coast national defense during the Korean Conflict. Mike and Pat attended University of Missouri, Columbia, earning degrees in electrical engineering. On August 31, 1957, Mike married Helen Ruth Poss of East Leavenworth, Missouri. Mike was employed by Western Electric in partnership with Bell Laboratories his entire career, where he initially was involved in satellite telecommunications development and later telephone switching equipment software design. After raising their family in Middletown, New Jersey, and Wheaton, Illinois, Mike and Ruth retired to Weston in 1991, where they lovingly renovated and cared for their antebellum home. Descendents of early Platte County settlers, Mike and Ruth were active in the Weston community, participating in the Weston Historic Homes Tour twice and serving as parade marshals of the Weston AppleFest in 2013. Parishioners of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Weston, where they were married and where Mike served as an altar boy in his youth, Mike and Ruth received the Bishop’s Service Award from the Archdiocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Missouri. In addition to his love of family, community and church, Mike was passionate about animals and nature. Despite many years of health challenges, he enjoyed an active lifestyle, taking long walks daily with his wife and dog along the Bluff Road and in Big Bend State Park just outside Weston and completing the Chicago Marathon. Kind and humorous, Mike was quick with a smile and always ready to tell a story. Mike was preceded in death by his parents and brother Pat. He is survived by his wife Ruth; their five children, Cecilia (Thomas), Elizabeth (John), Margaret (Daniel), Eric (Diane) and Mary (Scott); foreign-exchange daughter Nilgün (Ilker); 14 grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and one great-great grandchild; as well as nieces, nephews and cousins; and his beloved Jack Russell terrier TJ. A memorial service will be held in the future. Donations may be made to either, Holy Trinity Catholic Church Mike Marr Memorial Fund https://holytrinitycatholic.org/ (electronic donations) 407 Cherry St. Weston, Mo. 64098 or Weston Historical Museum Mike Marr Memorial Fund PO Box 266 Weston, Mo. 64098