Ketelsen, John R. 'Johnny'

John R. “Johnny” Ketelsen, 87, formerly of Marion, passed away Monday, Aug. 17, 2009. Services: 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Center, Marion. The family will greet friends Friday, Aug. 21, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the funeral home, with a Masonic service commencing at 3:45 p.m. Private burial: Oakwood Cemetery, Monticello.

Survivors include five children, Kathleen (James) Ernst of Monona, Randall (Maureen) Ketelsen of Arvada, Colo., Lynn (Mary) Ketelsen of Owatonna, Minn., Gary (Debbie) Ketelsen of Springville and Von Ketelsen of Fort Dodge; his grandchildren, John (Heidi) and Amy Ernst, Mindy (Jeffrey) Porter, Erica Ketelsen, Matthew, Sarah and LeAnn Ketelsen, and Jeremy (Stephanie), Holly and Trisha Ketelsen; three great-grandchildren, Joseph and Carlie Ernst, and Makena Porter; and one brother, Donald (Marilyn) Ketelsen.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Marjorie; a son, John “Jack” Ketelsen; a brother, Richard; and a sister, Ruth Ann Glenn.

John was born Sept. 29, 1921, the son of John and Fredda (Lang) Ketelsen, in Center Junction, Iowa. He married Marjorie Towers on March 5, 1944, in Central City.

John was an active member of the Masonic community. He was initiated into Masonic Lodge 619 in Onslow in 1946 and was a 32nd degree Mason. John became a member of El Kahir Shrine Temple in Cedar Rapids in 1950 and served as Potentate of El Kahir Shrine in 1987. John was honored as a 50-year member in 2000.

John and his wife, Marjorie, founded Ketelsen RV in 1962 in Marion, where he and his family grew the dealership to national acclaim. In 2000, John was inducted into the prestigious “RV Hall of Fame” in Elkhart, Ind., as a pioneering RV dealer.

John was a member of the western dance band “The Tom Owens Cowboys” for many years and continued the band under his own name, “The Johnny Ketelsen Band” upon Tom Owens' death in 1955. The band broadcast daily on WMT radio for over 20 years, holding a national broadcasting record of 6,500 live radio shows, the most of any musical group in history. A TV pioneer, Johnny's band performed regularly on WMT-TV and KCRG-TV. John was inducted into the “Nebraska Country Music Hall of Fame” in 2007.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to: John R. Ketelsen Memorial Fund, Farmers State Bank, P.O. Box 569, Marion, IA 52302.

Please sign the online guest book for John at  under obituaries.