Courtney, John (S)

John (S) Courtney, 67, formerly of Anamosa and the Des Moines area, died Thursday, Oct. 15, 2009, in Midland, Mich., following a sudden illness. A memorial celebration was held Oct. 17 at Steele Funeral Home, Bay City, Mich.

John was born Sept. 21, 1942, in Grinnell, Iowa, to John J. and Bessie Lee (Morgan) Courtney. He graduated from Anamosa Community High School in 1960, and was united in marriage to Sylvia Sweet in 1965, in Iowa City. He attended the University of Iowa, where he earned two degrees, a B.A. in Chinese and Studies of the Far East and an M.A. in Library Science. He received a J.D. degree from Drake University.

His distinguished career began in Washington, D.C., where he was in charge of Oriental Publications for the CIA. He then moved to Jonesboro, Ark., where he was director of the Crowley Ridge Regional Library, serving both Craighead and Poinsett counties. He returned to Iowa where he served the Supreme Court of Iowa as executive director for the Client Security and Attorney Disciplinary Commission until his retirement in 2002. He was instrumental in establishing the national standards for management of lawyer trust accounts.

Known for his quick wit, John was an avid reader often reading six newspapers a day and was a lifetime movie buff.

Survivors include his wife, Sylvia; two sons, Nathan Jen of Mount Pleasant, Mich., and Thaddeus Poe (Carrie) of Belleville, Ill.; and five grandchildren, Jacob, Mathew, Caleb, Morgan and Jackson.

Also surviving are two sisters, Sylvia Ralston of Cedar Rapids and Sandra (Michael) Sellers of Clive; and a sister-in-law, JoAnn Courtney of Cedar Rapids.

Preceding him in death were his parents and his brother, Alan.

Condolences and memorials may be sent to the Courtney family at 3969 E. Letts Rd., Midland, MI 48642.