Eldon Marting

Eldon Merril Marting, 88, of Amarillo, Texas went to be with the Lord on July 17, 2025. Memorial services will be 2:00 PM on Saturday, July 26, 2025, at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 6900 Hillside Rd. with Pastor Joe Andrajack officiating. Arrangements are under the direction of Cox-Rowley Funeral Home.

Eldon was born October 1, 1936 on the family farm near St. Olaf, Iowa to Vincent Marting and Gretchen (Bierbaum) Marting.  He was raised in Clayton County and graduated from Elkader High School.  After high school, he attended Iowa State University where he received certification in Farm Management. Eldon married Mary Louise Keniston on May 26, 1963.  They enjoyed 62 years of marriage.

Eldon began his career on the family farm raising crops, cattle, and horses.  After farming for several years, Eldon and his family moved to Vinton, Iowa where they lived for 36 years.  Initially, he transitioned to Collins Radio Technology followed by sales for Yoder Feeds, Nutrena Feeds, and Case Power & Equipment.  He later retired from Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant in Palo, Iowa after 23 years of service.   For the past 22 years, he enjoyed living in Amarillo, Texas.

Eldon enjoyed all things horses and rodeo.  As a young man, he first visited the Texas Panhandle working as a cowboy on the Quien Sabe Ranch near Channing, Texas.  Eldon also worked on the Willow Grove Land and Cattle Company Ranch near Wood Lake, Nebraska. During this time,  he honed his skills as a professional farrier allowing him to provide this service to some of the top performance horses in the state of Iowa.  He competed in calf roping and, later, team roping with his son, John.  He passed his passion on to his children, helping them compete at the National High School Rodeo Finals in Douglas, WY and Rapid City, SD.  Eldon was a director for the Iowa High School Rodeo Association and member of the board for the All Iowa Rodeo Association.  During their retirement, he traveled with Mary throughout the United States and attended as many big venue rodeos as possible.  Living in Texas allowed Eldon to attend his grandchildren’s school and sporting events.

He was preceded in death by his parents and infant sister, Lue Ann Marting.

Eldon is survived by his wife, Mary; his daughter, Linda Moore and husband Ted of Amarillo; his son, John Marting and wife April of Amarillo; four grandchildren: Kyle (Catherine) Moore, Jessica (Brian) Highfill, Kallie Marting, and Kolby Marting; three great-grandchildren: Vera Moore, Drake Moore, and James Highfill.

The family would like to thank the administration and staff at The Ware of Park Central Community and BSA Hospice for their outstanding care of Eldon.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to a charity of your choice in Eldon’s honor.