Edward Marinko, age 97, of Dubuque, passed away at 8:13 p.m., on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, at MercyOne Dubuque of natural causes.  To honor Ed’s life, family and friends may visit from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., on Thursday, May 25, 2023, at Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center, 710 N. Neil Street, Champaign, Illinois.  Burial will be in Mt. Hope Cemetery/Roselawn, 611 E. Pennsylvania, Champaign, Illinois.

Ed was born on April 3, 1926, in Phillips, Wisconsin, son of Paul and Anna (Fedorko) Marinko.

He attended Phillips High School and earned his GED after he was discharged from the military.  At age 17, Ed joined the U.S. Navy where he served as a Desalination Engineer during WWII in the South Pacific.  After the war, he married Emily Rose Fasko in Phillips, WI, and after they had their 1st child they loaded up the Model T and moved to Chicago.  After 27 years they went their separate ways.  Ed was a plasterer by trade and worked all over the Chicago area.  He would later marry Jane (Eliot) Cartland in July of 1983, and they were together for 21 years until she passed away on December 10, 2004.  In his free time, Ed loved a good game of cards, a nice cigar and eating Cheetos.  In his younger years, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, golfing and bowling.  Ed will be greatly missed.

Those left to cherish Ed’s memory include

his children,
Judith A. (Joseph) Valentino, New Lennox, IL,
Edward R. (Carol) Marinko, Dubuque, IA
and Millicent (Ross) Olsby, Fishers, IN;

5 step-children,
Jack, Mary, Doug, Jennifer and Susan;

his grandchildren,
Carole Valentino, Ed (Holly) Valentino, Nicole (Jeff) Eggener, Deanna Valentino, Kelly (Michael) Halapua, Michael S. Marinko, Jessica Jackson and Megan (Chris Jarvis) Jackson;

his great-grandchildren,
Austin and Mitchell Hyatt, Gage and Christina Valentino, Piper and Reece Eggener, Mila and Leila Halapua, Marley Duvall, and Archer and Evren Jarvis;

and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.

Ed was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Jane (Eliot) Marinko; a grandson, Edward J. Marinko; and his siblings, Verona, Susan, Julia, Anna, John, George, Paul, Frank, Mike and 4 in infancy, Anna, Mary, Anna and Andy.

The family will thankfully receive your support through greeting cards and memorials in Ed’s memory which may be mailed to Behr Funeral Home, 1491 Main Street, Dubuque, Iowa 52001, Attn. Ed Marinko Family.

Online condolences may be left for the family at www.behrfuneralhome.com