MUSCATINE, Iowa -- Myles R. Beitz, 81, Muscatine, died Wednesday, March 24, 2004, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City.

Services are 1 p.m. Monday, March 29, at the Geo. M. Wittich-Lewis Funeral Home, 2907 Mulberry Ave. The Rev. Gerry Kahler will officiate. Casket bearers are Ronald Reynolds, Richard Hines, John L. Hintermeister and Nyle Dommer. Burial will be at the National Cemetery at Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Ill., with full military rites.

Visitation is 2-5 p.m. Sunday, March 28, at the funeral home. A memorial has been established for the Beitz Foundation for Educational Benefits for students seeking a vocation in agriculture.

Mr. Beitz was born April 29, 1922, in Muscatine, the son of Elmer and Marie Beitz.

He was a veteran of World War II, serving in China and Japan.

He was a member of Spangler Chapel Church.

He had a dedication to the youth of Muscatine through the DeMolay, acting as an adult advisor for many years.

He was a vocational agriculture teacher at Muscatine High School and ran a nursery in Muscatine. He was owner and operator of BiState Concrete Products, the Video Factory and Downtown Laundromat and was an Ag-Loan officer at First National Bank.

Survivors include his mother, Marie Montz.

He was preceded in death by his father and a brother, Norman Beitz.