John Waldron Tiernan (2005)

DRTINA, HOLLOWAY, HURT, KLEIN, REGAN, TIERNAN, WALDRON, WOLTERINK

Posted By: Treva Patterson
Date: 3/19/2006 at 17:01:55

Winterset Madisonian
Winterset, Iowa
Wednesday, May 25, 2005

John Tiernan, Winterset

John Waldron Tiernan, 93, lifelong resident of Madison County, died Thursday, May 19, at West Bridge Care & Rehabilitation. The Funeral Mass and interment were Tuesday, May 24, at St. Patrick's Irish Settlement in Lee Township with the Rev. Chris Hartshorn presiding.

Mr. Tiernan was born Dec. 15, 1911, to James T. Tiernan of Lee Township and Kathryn Waldron Tiernan, who immigrated from Ballyhaunis, County Mayo, Ireland. He attended Lee #5 rural school and graduated from Winterset High School in the class of 1929. During the years following the Depression, he farmed for his uncle, Peter Tiernan, and worked on various construction projects along the Mississippi River. Following his marriage to Margaret Holloway, Mr. Tiernan lived several years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, working for a gas company. He then returned home to begin a life of farming the land in Lee and Crawford townships first settled by his grandparents, John Tiernan and Ellen Regan, who immigrated from County Leitrim, Ireland. To supplement farm income, he worked as a night supervisor for Omar Bakery in Des Moines, Iowa, from 1954 to 1961. He then worked as a yard foreman for the Pioneer Lumber Company, Ankeny, Iowa, from 1961 to 1983. At age 72, he retired to the family home in Winterset, Iowa. The farm, where he and his wife raised six children, was recently designated as a Century Farm.

A quiet person by nature, Mr. Tiernan is remembered by his family for his love of farming, nature, gardening, his storytelling abilities and sense of humor. He enjoyed reading, had a lifelong interest in sports and hunting, and possessed a deep love of family and his Catholic faith. Blessed with a good singing voice, he continued an over 60-year family tradition of membership in the choir at St Patrick's. Mr. Tiernan was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters (Rose Ellen and Catherine) and two brothers (Giles and Francis).

He is survived by his wife, Margaret; one brother, James T. Tiernan of San Diego, Calif.; five sons, Donald of Huxley, Iowa, Michael of Woodstock, Ga., Gregory of Longmont, Colo., Joseph of Winterset, and Timothy of Dallas, Texas; and one daughter Helen Marie Hurt of Littleton, Colo. He is further survived by two nephews, Dennis Tiernan of Solon and Craig Tiernan of Dubuque; two nieces, Jan Kleinwolterink of Burnsville, Minn., and Karen Drtina of Decorah; 13 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.

Memorials may be directed to St. Patrick's Irish Settlement Church, Cumming, Iowa or St. Joseph Catholic Church in Winterset.

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