John G. 'Jack' Colony

JOHN G. "JACK" COLONY

Coralville

John G. "Jack" Colony, 91, of Coralville, died on Sunday, March 12, 2017, at his home.

Services will held at a later date to be announced, with burial at Oak Hill Cemetery in Tiffin. Online condolences may be sent to his family through the funeral website at www.gayciha.com. Gay and Ciha Funeral Services is caring for his arrangements.

John Gilland Colony was born Dec. 16, 1925, in Clear Creek Township of Johnson County, Iowa, the son of Virgil and Lucille (Hocke) Colony. Jack attended schools in the Tiffin area, and in 1944 enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 1946. Jack always credited President Harry Truman for saving his life, as his unit was scheduled to invade Tokyo when the president ordered to drop the atomic bombs that ended the war.

Following his service in the Navy, Jack returned to this area, where he married Mary (Mae) Foote and worked many years as a typesetter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He continued his work in typesetting after moving to Corona, Calif. Missing his family and the lifestyle living in Iowa affords, he returned to Iowa in the '70s. He then moved to Arizona for the warm weather only to return to Iowa. In recent years. he worked for Clear Creek Amana schools, until leaving in June of 2016.

Something that brought joy and a sense of sincere pride was being included in the Veterans Honor Flight that went to Washington, D.C., in the fall of 2015. This honor proved to be the thrill of a lifetime to share with his fellow veterans.

Jack is survived by a niece, Virginia Phipps of Des Moines; and many cousins.

Jack was preceded in death by his parents; stepmother, Marie Colony; brother, Robert Colony; sister-in-law, Veda Colony; and stepson, Paul Haman.