Charles 'Chuck' Svatos

CHARLES J. "CHUCK" SVATOS

Iowa City

Charles J. "Chuck" Svatos, 95, a longtime resident of the Iowa City area, died Friday, Dec. 25, 2020, at The Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County.

Charles James Svatos was born July 26, 1925, in Tabor, S.D., the son of Joseph L. and Alice (Cekola) Svatos. When he was a child, his family moved to his grandparents farm near Solon, Iowa, where Chuck attended and graduated from high school. After high school, he served in the Iowa National Guard for four years.

He married Phyllis Jean Mortensen on June 7, 1954, in Iowa City. The couple lived in the area for many years raising their family. Chuck worked for the former Swaners Dairy, which became Roberts Dairy, for 39 years, retiring in 1986. The couple moved to Ida Grove, Iowa, in 1994. Chuck returned to the Iowa City area after his wife's death and had resided there since.

He enjoyed writing poetry, being published a number of times. He also enjoyed traveling, taking bus trips, having coffee at McDonalds, playing the lottery Sunday mornings after attending church and, of course, his dogs and family, all were very special to him!

His family includes his two daughters and their husbands, Doris Baxter (Farron) and Carol DeRamcy (William); three grandchildren, Heather Hunter, Aaron DeRamcy and Holly DeRamcy; and six great-grandchildren, Addison, Brinley, Charlotte, Brekken, Avery and Adalynn.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Phyllis; brothers, Laurence and Ray Svatos; and his sister, Louise Vermace.

Private family services will be held through Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service, with burial at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Battle Creek, Iowa. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made in his memory to The Bird House Hospice Home of Johnson County.

To share a thought, memory or condolence with his family, please visit the funeral home website at www.gayandciha.com.