Marlo’s Kansas childhood home was near the epicenter of the Dust Bowl. He spent the first decade of his life there during the Great Depression. For all but one of those years, he was raised by a single mother.
In the seventh grade, Marlo moved to Waverly, Nebraska after his mother married George Pepoon. In Waverly he joined the First United Methodist Church and graduated from Waverly High School in 1944.
On December 10, 1947, Marlo married Dorris Jean Johnson at Bethlehem Covenant Church near Waverly. They would live in Lincoln and Waverly for the rest of their lives. Their daughter Marta was born in 1950, and their son John was born in 1953. After many years in Waverly, they enjoyed the past 14 years at the Grand Lodge at the Preserve in Lincoln. Jean passed in October 2024 and Marlo followed three months later.
Marlo’s career began in high school raising turkeys with his stepfather, launching a life-long avocation for entrepreneurship. After high school, he enlisted as a part of the Allied occupation forces in Japan where he served as a paratrooper and MP. Marlo was among the first people to ride a ski lift in Japan when the forces constructed the country’s first lift for recreation.
After serving, Marlo attended Nebraska Wesleyan College. In 1947, he joined a company that became Burg Manufacturing and then National Crane Company in Waverly. National Crane would manufacture over 32,000 cranes. Marlo and Jean sold National Crane in 1972. Now a part of Manitowoc, National Crane is still one of the most recognized brands in its industry.
Throughout his career, Jean worked closely with Marlo managing company financials. As a couple, they launched additional businesses including Nomics, which manufactured hydraulic power sources. In 1983, Marlo, Jean, and their son John founded AutoCon in Omaha to develop industrial automation systems with robotics technologies. That company, now ACIETA of Council Bluffs, has installed thousands of robots in the last 40 years.
Marlo sustained a life-long involvement in First United Methodist Church of Waverly and was responsible for securing the donation of the land upon which the church now stands. He was active in Matthew’s Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star, Scottish Rite, Sesostris Temple of the Shrine, Jesters, and Waverly Grange.
Marlo and Jean enjoyed playing bridge, golf, and cribbage and cooking together; they participated in a gourmet dinner group for over 30 years. Marlo enjoyed playing pool, gardening, traveling, fishing, wood working, and all Cornhusker sports. He was a lifelong student and relished any opportunity to learn more about any topic or person. He will be remembered for his stories, indomitable positive attitude, and the joy that he took in his many friendships.
Marlo is preceded in death by his parents, his loving wife, Jean and his daughter Marta (Burg) Dickson.
Marlo is survived by his son John (Debra) Burg of Pickerel Lake, South Dakota and Papillion, Nebraska; and his grandchildren IV (Adrienne) Dickson of Lincoln, Nebraska; Angela Burg of Gretna, Nebraska; Ryan (Imanni) Burg of Oak Park, Illinois; and Megan Dickson (Elizabeth) Burg of Westminster, Colorado. Marlo was an active great-grandparent to Christopher, Bryn, Jed, Evie, Emmett, Stella, and Roscoe.
Marlo’s memorial service will take place at 11 AM on Thursday, January 23, 2025, First United Methodist Church, 14410 Folkestone in Waverly. The service will be live streamed on the Waverly First United Methodist Church Facebook page and at FirstUMCWaverly.org. The Visitation with family present will take place from 5 to 7 PM on Wednesday, January 22nd at Roper and Sons Waverly Chapel, 10851 North 148th Street in Waverly.
If you would like to contribute in Marlo’s memory, please direct it to First United Methodist Church in Waverly.