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Obituary for Max Raymond Landon
Max R. Landon, 100 years
Max Landon, a resident of Wind Crest Community in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, entered into eternal life on Wednesday, March 13th, 2019. Following cremation, a service will be held at the Wind Crest Retirement Community, at a date to be determined. Final interment will be at Pikes Peak National Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80925.
Max was born to Ralph and Winifred (Schnoor) Landon on June 5, 1918 and graduated from LaMoille High School in 1936. He attended the Iowa State Teachers College (UNI) and later earned his private pilot’s license.
Max married Florence Lander at Trinity Lutheran Church March 18, 1942. He entered the U.S. Army on December 2, 1941 and graduated from Officer’s Training School in October 1942. He served in various capacities with the 3rd Armored Division and the 6th Armored Division.
He served a tour of duty as Aide de Camp to General David Hardy, the Commanding General of the 1st Headquarters Special Troops 4th Army. He was separated to inactive reserve status in 1946.
Max was recalled to active duty in September 1950 during the Korean War. He served as an instructor in the 4th Army Leadership Training School at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri and also at Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania. He was discharged in 1952 with the rank of 1st Lieutenant.
In 1952, Max and his late brother-in-law, Chuck Lander, founded the Lander-Landon Company in Marshalltown, Iowa. Max remained active in the business community until his retirement in 1986. He was involved in many local ventures and served on the board of the United Way for many years. He was elected President of the Board of Directors of the United Way in 1965.
An active member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Max served several terms as President of the church council. He co-founded the Trinity Lutheran Church Gold Mettle Fund in 1981 and served on that board for 26 years. During the period from 1986 to 1997, Max and Florence designed, built, and gifted a total of 26 leaded stained glass windows to Trinity Lutheran Church in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Max was a long time member of the Lions Club and received the Warren Coleman Honorary Award from the Iowa Lions Foundation in 1997 and later the Melvin Jones Fellow Award from the Lions International Foundation.
He was a past board member of Elmwood Country Club, Marshall County Taxpayers Association, Marshalltown Area Chamber of Commerce, past member of the Elks Lodge and Shrine Club. He was a 50-year member of the Masonic Lodge and was a member of the Y Heritage Foundation. He also served as a volunteer mediator in the Iowa District Court Small Claims Division. Max was elected to the Embers Residents Association Board of Directors and served as President during the 2007 year. He moved to Colorado to be near his extended family and lived at Erickson’s Wind Crest Retirement Community until recently. While living at Wind Crest, Max sponsored indoor and outdoor putting, was a Stephens Ministry counselor, and participated in several social groups.
Max loved the challenges of stained glass design and construction, dark chocolate candies, golf, and especially his close friends and family.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Winifred (Minnie) Landon; Florence Landon, his loving wife of 63 years; and by his brothers, La Verne and Keith. He is survived by his 2 sons, James (Marilyn) Landon of Gilbert, Arizona; and Charles (Julia) Landon of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and by five grandchildren: Deborah (Tom) Vrieswyk, Michael Landon, Matthew (Jennifer) Landon, Stephen (Angie) Landon, Marcia (Tom) Hunt and fifteen great-grandchildren. He is also survived by a sister, Lois Wishmeyer of Cedar Falls, Iowa.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, memorial contributions can be made to National Kidney Foundation, visit: https://www.kidney.org/support (mailing information below under MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTION heading).
