Rev. Del L. Bear Sr., Former Free Methodist Pastor in Marion, Iowa, Dies at 82

The Rev. Del L. Bear Sr., 82, of Marion, Iowa, died Wednesday, July 1, 2020. The family will receive friends from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion, followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m. at the funeral home. Attendees were asked to observe social distancing guidelines, and facial masks were requested.

Bear was born March 19, 1938, in Cedar Rapids, the son of Delmar F. and Ruth (McGuire) Bear. On July 22, 1961, in Morrison, Illinois, he married Shirley A. Hughes.

Bear began his ministry as an associate pastor at Cedar Rapids Free Methodist Church under E. Wayne Ryan. He later served for several years as pastor of the Free Methodist Church in Iowa City. In 1981 he became pastor of the Free Methodist Church in Marion, a post he held until he retired in 1991. He returned as pastor of the Marion Free Methodist Church in August 1999 and served until 2015, a pastorate that spanned more than three decades of service to the congregation across his ministry, serving faithfully in the church he once led and then came back to lead (Hebrews 13:7).

Bear is survived by his daughter, Karen (Kevin) Hauskins of Marion; his daughter-in-law, Teresa Bear of Cedar Rapids; three grandsons, Don (Charlotte) Hauskins of Marion, Jeremy (Leslie) Hauskins of Cedar Rapids, and Randy Bear of Cedar Rapids; six great-grandchildren; a brother, Donald Bear of Waterloo; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Shirley, who died Sept. 30, 2010, his son, Delmar L. “Butch” Bear Jr., and two sisters, Nancy and Sharon.

The family described Bear as a loving father and grandfather and “a treasure to his family.” In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established in his memory. Those wishing to share a memory may do so at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.

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