Stearns, John William

John William Stearns, 80, of Cedar Rapids, died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2012, at St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids. Arrangements by Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids.

Survivors include his children, Jeff (Sofya) Stearns of Mars, Pa., Greg (Jenny) Stearns of Cedar Rapids, Mike Stearns of Sandy, Utah, and Doug Stearns of Cedar Rapids; six grandchildren; one brother, Ralph (Sherri) Stearns of Medical Lake, Wash.; and one brother-in-law, Bob Plumley of Thomson, Ill.

John was preceded in death by his wife, Geraldine; parents; and sister, Eleanor Plumley.

Born July 30, 1931, in Winona, Minn., John was the son of Ralph and Ruth (Johnson) Stearns. He graduated from Thomson, Ill., High School and then the University of Illinois College of Engineering in 1958. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force from 1950-1954. On Sept. 10, 1955, in Fulton, Ill., he was united in marriage to Geraldine Elaine Keegan. She died in February 2011. In 1964, they moved to Cedar Rapids and he went to work for Rockwell Collins, retiring in 1993 after 29 years.

John was a member of the American Legion and the Masons in Thomson, Ill. The couple enjoyed traveling and spending time with their family.

Please sign the online guest book for John at  under obituaries.

Published in The Gazette Jan. 21, 2012