Steven ‘Steve’ McCarville, 64

Oct. 1, 1956 —

Aug. 22, 2021

 

CRESCO - Steven Allan McCarville, age 64, of Cresco, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Aug. 22, 2021, at his home surrounded by his family.

 A Mass of Christian burial will be held at Notre Dame Catholic Church on Friday, Aug. 27, 2021, at 11 a.m., with Father Jacob Rouse officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be held at Notre Dame Catholic Church on Thursday, Aug. 26 from 3-8 p.m., followed by a prayer service. Visitation will continue at the church beginning at 9:30 a.m. prior to the service on Friday. Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home is assisting the family.

 Steve was born on Oct. 1, 1956, to Leland “Bud” and Jean (Ollendieck) McCarville in Cresco. He graduated from Notre Dame High School in 1974, where he excelled in cross country, baseball and basketball. On May 12, 1979, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Kathryn Mracek, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Protivin, Iowa.

The couple made their life in Cresco. Community involvement was a passion of Steve’s, and he served on various boards and committees for the betterment of Cresco and Howard County. These included Howard County Regional Health Services Hospital Board, Cresco City Council, Notre Dame Parish Council, CIDC Board, Cresco Bank and Trust Board, Cresco Park and Recreation Board and Crestwood Booster Club. 

In addition, Steve served on the main committee for the 150th Cresco celebration  and on three RAGBRAI organizational committees. Because of his commitment to the city of Cresco, the couple were granted the honor of being grand marshals of the 2020 Holiday Parade. 

Steve was very proud of his Cresco community. Even during chemotherapy, he would venture out to make sure all three Cresco “Welcome” signs were well-maintained. He made sure that flowers were planted, the lawns were mowed and weeds were pulled. Steve wanted others to see the beauty of Cresco like he did.

Shortly after high school graduation, Steve had a brief career at John Deere in Waterloo, Iowa, but his true passion was business entrepreneurship. In 1985, he became a co-owner of Chuck, Steve and Tom’s, which later transitioned into Steve and Tom’s. Through the success of their growing business, Steve and his brother-in-law, Tom Kubik, established Camp-Site RV Inc. in 1992, at its original location on Highway 9 in Cresco. The business quickly grew, and a new facility was built in 2008, located on the outskirts of town on Highway 9 West. It was further expanded in 2018 to accommodate their needs. Owning his own business and watching it grow was his dream come true. Camp-Site RV Inc. currently has a workforce of 28 employees. But what made Steve most proud was when his three boys, Ryan, Kelly and Kyle, purchased his half of the business in 2020, when he needed to focus on his battle with cancer. Tom’s daughters, Heather and Kayla, purchased the other portion of the business. 

 Throughout his life, Steve enjoyed camping with his family, particularly with Yogi and Boo Boo at Jellystone, ranger riding, golfing, gardening and Spyder riding with Kathy. He loved sports, particularly the Iowa Hawkeyes, Minnesota Vikings, Minnesota Twins and the Crestwood Cadets. A true joy of Steve’s was watching his children play high school and collegiate sports. However, his biggest pleasure in life were his beautiful grandchildren. They brought smiles (and chaos), even on the days when he was not feeling the best due to his chemotherapy. In February 2021, to commemorate his one-year anniversary from stomach surgery, the family was able to take an unforgettable trip to Anna Maria Island in Florida, where many memories and laughs were shared. 

 Steve was known for his infectious upbeat personality, contagious smile, impulsive decision-making and stubbornness. Anyone who knew him, knew that the Christmas season held a special place in his heart. Every year, Steve made a tradition of having the grandchildren over to watch Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Christmas music was a requirement when eating supper or opening gifts on Christmas Eve, even if it was too loud so that people could not hear one another. 

He loved French onion soup with “mozzerelly” cheese, blooming onions at the Fair, sharing popcorn with his grandchildren, adding layers of toppings to his ice cream sundaes and Apple Crown around the campfire. He was truly one-of-a-kind, and his selflessness showed until his last days, when his focus was making sure that Kathy and his grandchildren were taken care of. Even when his battle was nearing its end, he often stated, “Don’t worry about it. I will be fine.”

 Steve is survived by his wife of 42 years, Kathy, of Cresco; children, Ryan (Carrie) McCarville, Kelly (Samantha) McCarville, Kyle (Amber) McCarville and Kimberly McCarville, all of Cresco; grandchildren, Braelyn, Landree, Sully, Krew, Kurree, Bria and Bryn McCarville; mother, Jean McCarville; brothers, Rick and Daniel McCarville; sisters, Debbie (Dennis) Sobolik, Brenda (Tom) Kubik, Carol (Dennis) Stika and Connie (David) Kovarik, all of Cresco; brothers-in-law, Jerry Pecinovsky of West Des Moines, Iowa, Dennis (Donna) Mracek, of Protivin, Iowa and Tom Mracek of LaCrosse, Wis.; sisters-in-law, Connie Mracek of West Salem, Wis. and Jane (Pete) Heying of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.

 He was preceded in death by his father, Leland (Bud) McCarville; mother and father-in-law, Darlene and Daniel Mracek; sister-in-law, Diane Pecinovsky; nephew, Andrew Stika; paternal grandparents, Leo and Theresa McCarville; and maternal grandparents, Ben and Irma Ollendieck.