Haefner, John Henry

John Henry Haefner, 96, formerly of Iowa City, died after a short illness on Nov. 1, 2009, at the Don and Marilyn Anderson HospiceCare Center in Madison, Wis. Celebration of Life services will be held at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 320 E. College St., with the Rev. Mel Schlachter officiating. A visitation with the family will be held between 5 and 8 p.m. Wednesday at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Don and Marilyn HospiceCare Center in Madison, Wis.; Iowa City Hospice or Camp Courageous.  

John was born Aug. 13, 1913, in Muscatine, Iowa, the son of the Rev. John Haefner and Auguste Fritschel Haefner. His marriage to Dorothy Jane Welt on Aug. 16, 1941, was a lifelong and loving partnership until her death in 2007. He was an active member of the Trinity Episcopal and the Zion Lutheran churches in Iowa City. 

He is survived by his five children: his daughter, Judy Patrick, Madison, Wis.; four sons, John (Renee), Laramie, Wyo., James (Alice Lindahl), Logan, Utah, Joel (Cynthia Huff), Carlock, Ill., and Jeremy (Maurin Anderson), Rochester, N.Y. The 11 grandchildren are John and Laura Patrick, Kyle, Christopher, Corey, Carter and Conner Haefner, Alyssa and Leigh Huff, and Nicholas and Ramsey Haefner. His three great-grandchildren are Nathan Dancer, Solon Patrick and Jacob Haefner.

 John was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers and three sisters. 

John's passion was teaching and he began his career in Muscatine. In 1936, he accepted a graduate assistantship as a teacher in the University High School at the University of Iowa which permitted him to pursue and eventually earn a Ph.D. He served as an instructor and chair of the Department of Social Studies until U-High was closed in 1972. Despite his serious Socratic exterior, he now and then showed us glimpses of his Trickster, prankster side. There were the posters in his office, such as “Old age is not for sissies” and “We welcome criticism; put yours here,” with a tiny box.   As a faculty member in the College of Education he taught pre-service teachers, and many masters and doctoral students. John was a mentor not only to his students, but also his children and grandchildren, graciously guiding them when asked for help. He retired from the university in 1982 after 44 dedicated years; even so, he remained active in education and service until the early 1990s.

From 1942 to 1945, he served in the Naval Reserve as a communications officer on the staffs of Adm. C.W. Nimitz and Adm. R.K. Turner in the Pacific Ocean Area of Operations. Among his extensive service to professional and community organizations was serving as president of the National Council for the Social Studies in 1953 and as a Faculty Fellow of the Ford Foundation Fund for the Advancement of Education for 1954-55. He was one of the co-founders of NIE-Newspapers in Education-an innovative curriculum program to improve literacy, increase citizenship and increase knowledge of contemporary issues that continue to influence students to this day. In 1962-63, he was the associate for teacher education for the CBS College of the Air course, The American Economy. As a citizen of Iowa City until 2007, he influenced many organizations, including a board membership for the Elder Services, Inc. and the First Federal Savings and Loan Bank. He was a volunteer for the State Historical Society of Iowa, Crisis Center, IRIS, and the Iowa Reading Information Service and for Mercy Hospital LIFE LINE. 

John and Dorothy were a very loving couple, and role models for many who knew them. In his later years, John enjoyed the summers spent in northern Minnesota with Dorothy at their summer cabin, where they graciously welcomed visits from children, and grand and great-grandchildren who called him “Boppa.”   Many a pleasant afternoon was spent at the lakeside screen house watching the boisterous activities of the young ones, noting the comings and goings of the humming birds at the hanging feeders, and even reading the occasional mystery novel. 

John answered to a variety of names throughout his life: “Heff,” “Dad,” “Boppa,” Professor Haefner,” “Dr. H” and “Mr. Hawkeye,” But in the end his family was his life, and he never failed to light up with a big smile when family members visited him. John's life continues on in his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

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