John Stimpson

JOHN STIMPSON

Anamosa

John Stimpson, 91, died Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014, at Jones Regional Medical Center following a brief illness. Funeral services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at Wayne Zion Lutheran Church, rural Monticello. Interment: Wayne Zion Cemetery. The Rev. Darryl Larson will officiate at the services. Friends may call from 4 until 8 p.m. Tuesday at Goettsch Funeral Home, Monticello.

Thoughts, memories and condolences may be left at www.goettschonline.com.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established.

John Allen Stimpson was born in Cass Township, Jones County, Iowa, on Sept. 20, 1922, the son of Thomas and Bertha (Blassing Fairbanks) Stimpson.

On Jan. 22, 1951, John married Betty Hagerman. John and Betty have five surviving children, George Stimpson, Anamosa, Christine (Don Carsner) Becicka, Marion, Thomas Stimpson, Anamosa, Gene Stimpson, Morley, and Shirley Adney, Cedar Rapids; and a son-in-law, Roger Lange, Anamosa. John and Betty later divorced and John married Evelyn (Etten Osterkamp) on Feb. 10, 1973. John has seven surviving stepchildren, Sharon (Jim) Fell and Ernie (Jerrie) Osterkamp, both of Anamosa, Patricia (Dean) Yousse, Scotch Grove, Pam Osterkamp, Cedar Rapids, and Marilyn (Dale) Christiansen, Debbie Osterkamp and Connie (Randy) Ehlers, all of Anamosa; a stepdaughter-in-law, Amanda Osterkamp, Anamosa; 19 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren; three sisters, Betty Angus, Atkinson, Ill., and Anna Adams and Eunice (Jim) Conley, both of Anamosa.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Linda Lange; a stepson, Larry Osterkamp; a stepgrandson, Noah Ehlers; an infant sister, Harriett; an infant brother, Thomas; a brother, George; a sister, Barbara Peterson; three brothers-in-law, Harold Angus, Dale Adams and Ronald Peterson; and ex-wife, Betty Stimpson.

John attended the rural schools of Cass Township and later Anamosa High School. He later went to John Deere School in Moline, Ill.

John worked at Iowa Manufacturing and then Douglas Equipment in Anamosa and Vanourney John Deere in Monticello. He was a mechanic for George Caspers and machinist at Cuckler Buildings in Monticello. He started his own shop, where he worked on old tractors, mostly John Deere.

John was a master at doing overhauls; magneto and carburetor work on the old tractors. He went on some of the WMT Tractorcades and Tractor Cruise USA. John was a member of the Two Cylinder Club in Troy Mills. He loved to go to the Old Threshers Reunion in Mount Pleasant and was an avid bowler.