Marvin L."Sparky" Adams
            (1922 - 2010)

 
Marvin L. Adams, 88, went to be with the Lord on Thursday, July 15, 2010. Funeral: 2 p.m. Tuesday in Abiding Faith Lutheran Church. Interment: Crete, Ill., the following week. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Greenwood Funeral Home. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Abiding Faith Lutheran Church, where Col. Adams was a faithful member. Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Marvin L. Adams was born April 2, 1922, the son of Leslie B. and Ida K. Adams, both lifelong natives of Crete, Ill. He was proud to have served his country well during his over 31 years of continuous active military service. Known to friends and family by his call sign, "Sparky," Col. Adams was a command pilot who served in many overseas tours including Japan, Guam, Africa, Greenland, Turkey, England and Puerto Rico. He also held navigator, bombardier, and radar operator flight ratings, with over 8,000 hours of flight time to his credit. Col. Adams enlisted Dec. 7, 1942, and retired Sept. 30, 1974. He was highly decorated for his military service and awarded well over 20 medals of honor, including the Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster, the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster and the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters. His patriotic love for his country was contagious and was only matched by his love for friends and family. Col. Adams married the former Carolyn "Connie" Schweer, also from Crete, Ill. Together they raised three daughters and enjoyed over 65 years of marriage. One of six children, Col. Adams was preceded in death by all of his siblings - brothers, Ralph, Harold and James, and sisters, Ferne and Marion, who was his twin; and one grandson, Logan Cording. Survivors: Wife, Connie Adams; daughters, Sharon Wegmann and husband, Bill, of Naperville, Ill., Jeanette Brockmeyer and husband, Jerry, of Santa Clarita, Calif., and Marion Deborah Cording and husband, Dick, of Plymouth, Mich.; grandchildren, Derek Wegmann and wife, Suzy, Amy Wegmann, Justin Brockmeyer, Jennifer Brockmeyer Pecerni and husband, Brian, Ryan Cording and Tyler Cording; and great-granddaughter, Vivienne Wegmann.



Published in Star-Telegram on 7/18/2010.