John Kleis

JOHN KLEIS

Iowa City

John Kleis, 87, formerly of Chalfont, Pa., passed away suddenly at his home in Iowa City on Aug. 8, 2015. A memorial Mass will be Oct. 2 at 11 a.m. at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Iowa City. The Very Rev. Rudolph Juarez will officiate. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in memory of John may be directed to the Twin Bridges Public Library, P.O. Box 246, Twin Bridges, MT 59754-0246. www.twinbridgeslibrary.weebly.com

Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service is handling arrangements.

John was born in Milwaukee, Wis., the son of Arthur Kleis and Effie Dorrell. He spent his boyhood summers in Panaca, Nev., and had a lifelong love of the West. Following high school, John served in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific.

He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1950 and married Virginia Ann Neuzil in Iowa City. In 1951, he started work in Philadelphia as a chemist for McNeil Laboratories, later a division of Johnson & Johnson. After working in the lab, he traveled extensively with J & J International. His responsibilities included quality control and systems design. John and Virginia lived in the Philadelphia area for 64 years.

John enjoyed spending time with his family and many friends, particularly at his homes near Cammel, Pa., and in Twin Bridges, Mont.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia; son, James; and daughter, Mary (Richard Ruff), and their children, Laura and Johanna.

John was preceded in death by his son, William.

Thoughts may be shared with the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.