Ramon Milton Hearn

HEARN, BRADLEY, BACHMAN, KING, KIESEWETTER, DECKER, STRONG, GEEO, JOHNSON, BECKER, VAUGHN

Posted By: dbeier (email)
Date: 2/28/2008 at 21:01:26

Independence - Ramon Milton Hearn, 80 years old, of rural Independence, Iowa, passed away peacefully on October 22, 2006, after a long struggle with emphysema. He was born on November 21, 1925, in Aurora, Iowa, to John Howard and Ina Merle (Bradley) Hearn. They were thrashing oats that day. Ray attended Lewis Country School through 7th grade, Aurora 8th, 9th, and 10th, and Stanley high school for 11th and 12th graduating at the age of 16. He attended Upper Iowa University for 2 semesters, then enlisted in the Navy Air Corp in 1943. He graduated from St. Ambrose Officers Cadet School in 1944. He was one of three picked from a class of 5000 to attend Midshipman School on Long Island Sound aboard the Yorktown. He was then trained as a Torpedo Bomber Fighting pilot flying a Mustang P1. After being honorably discharged in 1945, he worked on a farm near Aurora for one year, then purchased his home farm near Independence, Iowa, in 1946. He married Gladys (Bachman) King in 1955. In the late 1950’s he started working at Micro Switch in Independence and then was hired by John Deere’s in 1960. He retired in 1982 as supervisor of Department 28 and received many awards and honors during his tenure. After retirement from Deere’s, he continued farming until 2002. He was Outstanding Young Farmer in 1953. Ray was also invited to Washington, D.C., to attend the reunion of the V5 Naval training program with President George H.W. Bush. In the mid 1990’s Ray and Gladys started to winter in Pharr, Texas. After Gladys passed away in 2000, Ray continued to spend winters in Texas where he met and married Nelda Doris Kiesewetter on January 10, 2003. Ray especially loved to dance and also found enjoyment in fishing, playing cards, farming and being with his family. He enjoyed the rivalry between Iowa and Iowa State usually pulling for Iowa State because he said they were always the underdogs. Ray had a fantastic sense of humor and charmed all the nurses at all of the different hospitals where he was a patient. Ray was a member of the Farm Bureau, the Sheehan-Tidball American Legion Post #30 in Independence, the Soybean Growers Association and the McAllen Lutheran Church.
He is survived by his wife, Nelda Kiesewetter-Hearn, McAllen, TX, 3 daughters: Peggy (Mike) Decker, Independence, IA; Patricia (Art) Strong, Dewitt, IA; and Marilyn (Jim) Geeo, Hot Springs, AR. 8 grandchildren, Jamie Johnson, Independence; Ryan (Amanda) Decker, McAllen, TX; Ronda (Paul) Becker, Dewitt; Randy (Jean) Strong, Ames, IA; Roy Geeo, Kansas City, Danny, David, and Darrin Vaughn, all of Hot Springs, AR. Several great grandchildren: Michael Ray Decker, Maxwell, Katie, and Jack Strong, Hanna Vaughn, Ashley Vaughn, and Michelle and mellisa Geeo, nieces and nephews, Nelda’s family, and many cousins and friends from around the country.
He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Ina Hearn; wife, Gladys, 2 daughters, Susan and Linda, and a brother, Les.
Funeral Services were held at 11:00 a.m., on Thursday, October 26, 2006, at the White Funeral Home in Independence, Iowa, with Pastor Mark Carr officiating. On Wednesday, Oct. 25th, there was a Military Service beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Casket Bearers were Art Strong, Randy Strong, Paul Becker, Mike Decker, Ryan Decker, and John Bagge. Burial was in Hazleton Cemetery in Hazleton, Iowa.