MINEHART, John D. "Jack" 1935-2010

MINEHART, MORFORD, BERTCH, RANNELLS, SWALE

Posted By: S. Bell
Date: 3/14/2011 at 22:12:04

[Waterloo Courier, Wednesday, October 6, 2010]

John D. "Jack" Minehart, Cedar Falls, died Oct. 5, 2010, at Covenant Medical Center, Waterloo, of natural causes. There is no visitation planned and a memorial service will be held at a later date. Iowa Cremation, Cedar Rapids, is assisting the family.

Jack was born Dec. 15, 1935, in Waterloo, the son of Dale Emal Minehart and Neva Eileen (Morford) Minehart. He lived most of his life in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area, and in recent years, at his family's lakeshore home near Squaw Lake, Minn., where he was a nationally renowned builder of birch bark canoes.

He was married Nov. 16, 1957, to his high school sweetheart, Mary Ellen Bertch, at St. Edward's Church, Waterloo. They are the parents of John E. "Jack Jr." and his wife Chin of Forney, Texas, Christine Rannells and husband Scott of Cedar Falls and David D. Minehart and his wife Sharon of Centerville, Mass. Mr. Minehart also is survived by his beloved grandchildren, Katie Minehart of Centerville and Sam and Luke Rannells of Cedar Falls; and a sister, Jill Minehart-Swale of rural Buckingham.

He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant daughter, Elizabeth Eileen.

Mr. Minehart graduated from Waterloo West High School in 1953, received his BA (1960) and MA (1970) degrees in education and history from the University of Northern Iowa. Much of his graduate work was done at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H. He was a lifelong member of the alumni associations at both schools. He was a Korean-era veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant in 1958, and was a life member of the Third Marine Division Association and the Northome, Minn., chapter of the American Legion.

Mr. Minehart's entire professional career was spent as a teacher in the Cedar Falls Community Schools, from which he retired in 1995 after 35 years of continuous service. He prided himself on the consequent success of many of his former students, several of whom maintained a correspondence with him throughout his life. He was a recipient of the Cedar Falls Chamber of Commerce "Outstanding Young Educator Award" in 1965 and was among nominees for Iowa Teacher of the Year on several subsequent occasions. He also mentored nearly 30 student teachers from the UNI education department during their classroom internships in the Cedar Falls secondary schools.

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