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James Jessen
JAMES "JIM" ANTON JESSEN
Marion
James "Jim" Anton Jessen, 88, of Marion, passed away Jan. 21, 2016, at Hiawatha Care Center in Hiawatha. Visitation will be Sunday, Jan. 24, from 1 to 3 p.m. at Murdoch Funeral Home and Cremation Service
in Marion. Funeral services will be 3 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home. Burial will take place at Martin Creek Cemetery on Tuesday,
Jan. 26.
James Anton Jessen was born Dec. 8, 1927, on a farm outside Garwin, Iowa, to Mildred (Babor) and Peter Jessen. He was the oldest of four children and learned the importance of hard work earlyon. He attended a one-room country school initially and was active in track and basketball for Garwin throughout high school. After graduation in 1946, he attended William Penn College in Oskaloosa, while also working as a beekeeper, carpenter and farmhand to make ends meet. He was a starting lineman for the William Penn football team.
In 1949, he enlisted in the Navy, where he served on multiple medical ships as a medical corpsman during the Korean War. He crossed the Atlantic 10 times and visited 16 countries. He received the Naval Unit Commendation medal and was discharged in February 1953 as Petty Officer 2nd Class.
He completed his college education at the University of Iowa, where he met and married Mildred R. Lamm. They were married June 11, 1955.
Jim taught science at Franklin Junior High from 1959 until his retirement in 1989. Ahead of that he taught science at a junior college in Estherville. He farmed east of Marion and was active in local politics with the Democratic Party. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club and First Presbyterian Church of Marion.
He was preceded in death by his son, Howard Dean Jessen (1967); his sister, Doris Halverson; his brother, Jay Jessen; and his parents.
He is survived by his wife, Mildred Jessen; sister, Betty Taylor, Arkansas; daughters, Cheryl (Paul) McAvoy, Columbus, Ind., and Cynthia (Brad) Roehr, Cedar Rapids; sons, Jeffrey Jessen, Grafton, and James (Carla) Jessen, Cedar Rapids; and 11 grand-children, Katherine McAvoy, Elizabeth McAvoy, Rebecca McAvoy, Kristen Roehr, Alisa Roehr, Jharred (Kelsey) Millonig, Alex Millonig, Brandon Jessen, Brianna Jessen, Kelsey Jessen and Linsey Jessen.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Kiwanis Club of Marion or the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
Please share a memory of Jim at www.murdoch
funeralhomecom under obituaries.
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