Tempus, Gene D.

Gene D. Tempus

Northeast Iowa native Gene D. Tempus, 72, died Sunday, March 24, 2013, in Pella, Iowa, from complications arising from multiple myeloma. He was well known to farmers in Iowa and adjacent states during more than three decades in the agribusiness industry.

Visitation is from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, with the funeral at 10 a.m. Thursday, both at White Funeral Home in Independence, Iowa.

Condolences may be left at .

Survivors include his wife, Ellen of Pella; four children, Kent (Denise) Tempus of Green Bay, Wis., Elena (Joseph) Schmitz of Independence, Mitchell (Carole) Tempus of Omaha, Neb. and Scott (Sue) Tempus of Escondido, Calif.; seven grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

Gene is further survived by four brothers, Lyle (Ann) Tempus of Independence, Norman (Diane) Tempus of Arroyo Grande, Calif., Roger Tempus of Independence and Gary (Roxie) Tempus of Smithland, Ky.; two sisters-in-law, Carole (Robert) Beresford of Troy Mills and Karen Namie of Champlin, Minn.; a brother-in-law, Mark Meader of Central City; along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.

He was born May 7, 1940, near Independence, Iowa, to Carl and Esther Tempus. Gene married Sharon L. Kelso on May 28, 1960, in Cedar Rapids, who died in 1987. He married Ellen Timlin at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa, on Sept. 6, 1997.

Gene managed the ARCO fertilizer center at Aurora in the late 1960s and early 1970s, became a sales representative based in Independence for Stauffer Chemical Co. and in 1979 was named Stauffer's Midwest Manager of Grower Relations. Based in Omaha, he supervised the work of sales representatives in several states, as well as developing new marketing and sales incentive programs until 1986. He spent one more year as a sales representative for Stauffer in Sioux Falls, S.D., then worked for agribusiness firms in Independence, Madison, Wis., and in southern Minnesota, where he met Ellen in 1993. They lived in Mesa, Ariz. and Sterling, Colo., before moving to Pella in 2010.

Dad was a great handyman who could fix just about anything and enjoyed traveling in the U.S. and overseas, gardening and especially fishing and the outdoors. He was also an expert on the grill, twice competing in the Cookout King Contest at the Iowa State Fair in the early 1970s.

Most importantly, Dad was a caring father and loving husband. His family is grateful for his example of hard work, perseverance and integrity.

Memorials may be made Hospice of Pella.

Published in The Gazette March 26, 2013.