driftless
Father and sons prove that everyday heroes are a family affair
Dan Marx has devoted his life to public service, and now his sons are following suit
By Denise LanaLong before he wore a badge and became Winneshiek County Sheriff, a young Dan Marx knew he wanted to do something with his life that would be a service to others. Like many young men whose dreams are filled with images of firefighting, flashing ambulance lights and police car chases, Dan was drawn to emergency services, but specifically, he wanted to be in law enforcement. His dream was to wear a shiny badge and be the county sheriff, but as he progressed through high school, Dan’s plans pivoted.
While still in high school, he set out to get his Emergency Medical Technician certification by taking night classes at Northeast Iowa Community College. Unfortunately, after receiving his EMT certification, Dan’s dreams of being an EMT came to an abrupt halt when he was stricken with severe motion sickness during his inaugural ambulance ride.
In 1997 and fresh out of high school, Dan attended community college to study Criminal Justice and Police Science and got a job as a civilian jailer and reserve deputy with
SERVING THE PUBLIC, SHOULDER TO SHOULDER For
ter), and his sons, Airman First Class James
being a hero is doing small deeds every day with a conviction to serve and be something bigger than oneself. (Driftless Multimedia
the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office. Juggling work with school, Dan caught the eye and heart of Mary Stromseth, and they started dating.
After earning his degree, Dan became a bona fide law enforcement officer and signed with the Calmar Police Department. He and Mary married in 2000, and after two years with the Calmar Police Department, he spent one year with the Decorah Police Department before being hired on as a deputy with the Winneshiek County Sheriff’s Office in 2002. Along the way, Dan and Mary had two sons – James in 2003, and Will in 2005.
Family values
Raising two sons was hectic, with Mary working at WinnMed as Marketing Director and Dan on call around the clock, often working late nights and weekends under stressful and traumatic circumstances accom-
panied by emotional and psychological strain. But they always took time to instill in their boys strong family values, deep faith, altruism and compassion.
Big brother James, a get-it-done kind of boy, quiet and meticulous, always loved pirates and ships and thrived on structure and rules. Recalled Mary, “From a young age, his favorite movies were pirate and military movies. He would always tell us he was going to join the Navy.”
Little brother Will, on the other hand, wasn’t afraid to color outside the lines. “Will was the polar opposite of James in some ways,” Dan recollected. “While both boys were watchdogs and protectors at heart, Will was never afraid to be near trouble. He was always on the fringes of it, defending what he felt was right.”
As his young sons grew and matured, Dan worried about their futures.
“As a dad, naturally you want your kids to do better than you did. I worried about my sons’ safety and quality of life, and it was hard knowing the time would one day come when I wasn’t going to be able to walk my sons through decisions and protect them.”
Hometown Heroes Hike and breakfast fundraiser
June 15
Decorah Rocks is again hosting a fundraising event benefiting Winneshiek County emergency responders Saturday, June 15. The fun kicks off with the “Hungry Hungry Heroes” Pancake Breakfast from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Decorah Fire Department.
A “Hometown Heroes Hike” will follow, from 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and begins at the Bruening lot near Palisades Park, Decorah. Dress up like super heroes and hunt for rocks while exploring some of Decorah’s trails.
Register for the hike by June 13 at: https://decorahrocks-hometownhereoes-finalstore.itemorder.com
Join the fundraising efforts for one or both events. There will also be raffles and opportunities to visit with local emergency responders. Must be present to purchase raffle tickets, need not be present to win. For more information, join the public group “Decorah Rocks” on Facebook.
James grew into a level-headed young man and discovered the Navy wouldn’t be the best fit for him but remained dead set on serving in some sort of military capacity. Before graduating high school, James decided to enter a delayed enlistment with the US Air Force, signing his agreement on April 1, 2020, and ensuring he would enlist after graduation. He also started dating Mackenzie Schrimer, whom he met during high school. Although Mackenzie knew ‘he had planned to sign his life away to the military,’
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