Husmann, Jay

Jay Husmann, 65, of Anamosa, died Thursday, May 3, 2012, at the Iowa City V A Health Care System following a brief illness. Funeral services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, May 7, at Goettsch Funeral Home, Monticello, with military honors. Friends may call from 2 until 5 p.m. Sunday at the funeral home.

Survivors include his wife, Joan, Anamosa; his mother, Doris Husmann, Scotch Grove; three children, DeDe Andersen-Crawford, Ankeny, Jeff (Melissa) Husmann, Granger, and Erin Austin and partner Rachel, Fresno, Calif.; two stepsons, Matt Kuhns, Lakewood, Ohio, and Bret Kuhns, Deltona, Fla.; six grandchildren, Nate, Haylee, Eden, Kendra, Carter and Christian; and three siblings, Jill (Tom) Brokaw, Monticello, Jerry (Diane) Husmann, Edgewater, Fla., and James (Ann) Husmann, Cedar Falls.

He was preceded in death by his father, Art in 2002.

Jay Merath Husmann was born March 23, 1947, at John McDonald Hospital, Monticello, Iowa, the son of Arthur and Doris (Emmert) Husmann. Jay graduated from Monticello Community Schools with the class of 1965. He then went to work for the Iowa Department of Transportation before enlisting in the United States Navy. Jay served in Vietnam while in the Navy. Following his return from service he returned to work at the DOT. Jay married Kathy Miller on June 1, 1974, at Portsmouth, Iowa. The couple lived in Maquoketa for a brief time before moving to Scotch Grove. They later divorced. Jay was employed at Jones County Farm Service for many years and then for Terra Ag. Jay and Joan (Schneider) Kuhns were married July 21, 2008, in Anamosa. Jay was self-employed in recent years making leather clothing items to sell at black powder rendezvous and doing knife sharpening. He operated as Lone Wolf Trading and was known as Cocklebur.

Jay was a member of the Monticello VFW. In high school he had been active in FFA and 4-H.

Thoughts, memories and condolences may be left at www.goettschonline.com.

Published May 5, 2012 in The Gazette