John Kleitsch

JOHN KLEITSCH Ames John Kleitsch, 81, of Ames, passed away May 14, 2015, at Bethany Manor in Story City. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, May 18, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Nevada. Graveside services will be in the Nevada Municipal Cemetery. John C. Kleitsch was born Sept. 8, 1933, to Mabel and Lawrence Kleitsch in rural Iowa. John served his country in the U.S. Army in the Korean War, then graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in electrical engineering. He earned master's degrees in electrical engineering and business administration from the University of Iowa. His first position was with Boeing in Seattle, Wash. He then went to work for Collins Radio in Los Angeles, taking digital design courses at the University of Washington and UCLA. After 23 years in telecommunications design at Rockwell Collins, John taught digital circuit design for 21 years in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. He co-authored at least three patents. As a consultant at Motorola, John's project involved the use of satellites to control railroad traffic. John was a member of St. John's Catholic Church in Independence, St. Matthew Catholic Parish in Cedar Rapids and St. Cecilia Catholic Church in Ames. He always found a Catholic church to attend on the family camping vacations to Yellow River State Forest, the east and west coasts and points in between. Visiting friends Paul and Sonya Burke, Don and Velma Stover and family and reunions of the Kleitsch and Rhoads families were important to him and Ruby. John loved to fish for rainbow trout, plant a garden and hike a trail with his family. He is survived by his children, Carol Kleitsch-Santos, Deanna (Chris) Eckert (Michigan), Randal (Nancy) Kleitsch (Wisconsin), Susan Houseman (North Carolina) and Dennis Kleitsch; and his sisters, Dorothy (Don) Gannon, Darlene (Jim) Schrader (Wisconsin), Janet Kleitsch, Mary Lou Adams and Phyl (Ken) Osterhaus. John was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Ruby, who passed away on April 7, 2015; his daughter, Mary Schrier, who passed away Feb. 25, 2015; two sisters, Shirley Jensen and Lettie May; and three brothers, Russ, LaVerne and James. Adams Funeral Home in Ames is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences and photos may be shared at www.adamssoderstrum. com.