John Dale Stewart (2018)
DAHLBERG, GARDNER, GERMAN, IMIG, LYON, SHUFF, STEWART, VARCE
Posted By: Shirley Keating
Date: 11/8/2023 at 18:02:56
Des Moines Register
Des Moines, Iowa
Thursday, February 8, 2018John D. Stewart, Urbandale
John Dale Stewart was born September 5, 1950 in Des Moines, Iowa. He went to be with his Lord and Savior Monday, February 5, 2018. John was the first son born to Helen L. Shuff Stewart and Dale Henry Stewart. His twin brother Jim arrived five minutes later. They lived near Indianola and Ackworth before buying a farm east of Winterset in 1960. John graduated from Winterset High School in 1968, received an associate degree in Agricultural Business from DMACC in 1972 and a Bachelor of Science summa cum laude from Columbia College in 2000. He served in the Army beginning in August 1970 for 15 months in Germany. In 1972 he married Bonnie (Lyon) Varce. They had two children and later divorced. He farmed and was with the Army Reserve at the 830th Station Hospital in Des Moines from 1977 to 1987. In 1987 he was united in marriage to Ruth (Imig) Dahlberg. He served in the Army Reserves in Washington, DC, St. Louis MO, Ft. McCoy, WI, Ft. Snelling, MN and retired as Sergeant Major in Army Reserve Personnel Command in St. Louis, MO in May 2001. In 2002 he became an Immigration Services Officer with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, Dept. of Homeland Security until he retired in January 2013.
John, also known as "Papa John", loved the Lord, his wife, his children and his grandchildren. He loving cared for his wife Ruth for many years. He loved to: tease, take pictures, watch the Cardinals play, read, golf, watch movies, put together puzzles, go to Christian music concerts, put together and work on computers, and make banana bread every week for fellowship time at his church. He and Ruth loved serving others by heading up a clothing give-away for the less fortunate and annually put together shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. He loved construction and was the general contractor for his home built in 2001. As well as building props for VBS at church and craft projects for Ruth. You could find him March-November mowing the grass (about 3 acres) around his home.
John was honest in word and deed, a solid Christian man who gave back to his church and community. He epitomized personal values of loyalty, selfless service, candor and commitment. His smiles and laughter will be greatly missed.
He is survived by daughter, Jennifer (Scott) Gardner, grandchildren, Seth and Leah of Urbandale, IA; son, Paul (Coree) Stewart, grandchildren, Shelby and Caitlyn of Colorado Springs, CO; step-son, Erik Dahlberg; siblings, Susan (Don) German, Peru, IA, James (Jacki) Stewart, Indianola, IA, Gerald Stewart, Thomas (Donnette) Stewart, Cicero, IN and Sally Stewart and many nieces and nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Ruth.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, February 9, 2018 at Lighthouse Community Church in Des Moines. Followed by interment at 2:00 p.m., Friday at Iowa Veterans Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 5:30 - 8:00 p.m., Thursday, February 8 at Iles Westover Chapel.
The family thanks the amazing caregivers and staff at Home Instead and Bickford of Urbandale for their loving care of John. Memorials may be made to Lighthouse Community Church or the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration.
Gravesite
Madison Obituaries maintained by Linda Griffith Smith.
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