Ronald Tow, 64

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ERIE, Ill. - Ronald "Jay" Tow, 64, of Erie, Ill. and Sun City, Ariz., formerly of Marshalltown, died July 2, 2008, at Hammond Henry Hospital, Geneseo, Ill.

All friends and relatives are invited to a celebration of his life at the American Legion in Marshalltown on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. Memorials may be made to the St. Jude's Children's Hospital. Gibson Funeral Home in Erie, Ill., is assisting the family.

Jay was born Sept. 29, 1943, in Marshalltown, Iowa, the son of Basil and Thelma (Lown) Tow. He graduated from Marshalltown High School in 1960. Jay served in the U.S. Navy from 1961 to 1964. He was assigned to the USS Mattox which was the first ship fired on by the North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. He married Susan Stoeber on Sept. 16, 1966, at the Little Brown Church, Nashua, Iowa. Jay was employed by Cessford Construction Company in LeGrand for 30 years and then at the Marshalltown Community Schools until his retirement in 2004.

He was a member of the Marshalltown American Legion and V.F.W.

Survivors include his wife, Susan; sons, Timothy (Laura) Tow and Stephen (Ginny) Tow, all of Des Moines; grandchildren, Linsey, Nicole, Jessica, Emily and Alex; sisters, Sara Tow (John) Stone of Philadelphia, Pa., Vickie Pierson (Jim) Henricksen of Pequot lakes, Minn. and Jackie Weitzel of LeGrand.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Thelma Pierson; his father, Basil Tow; and his step father, Helge "Swede" Pierson.