Breemer, John D. 1940-2005

BREEMER, BUSCH, MAYO, FRANTZ, WHITAKER, TANZOSCH, WICKHAM

Posted By: Marilyn Holmes (email)
Date: 3/7/2012 at 08:58:12

The Grinnell (IA) Herald-Register; July 21, 2005

JOHN D. BREEMER

John D. Breemer, 64, of Grinnell died Tuesday, July 19, at his home.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, July 23, at Smith Funeral Home in Grinnell, with the Rev. Susan Leatham officiating.

Visitation hours will be from noon to 8 p.m. Friday at the Smith Funeral Home; the family will be present to greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m.

John Breemer was born Nov. 25, 1940, in Des Moines and was the son of John D. Breemer Sr. and Ellen M. Busch Breemer. He was raised and educated in Des Moines and was a 1959 graduate of North High School. He received his bachelor of arts degree in English from Drake University in 1964.

He married Alice Mayo on Nov. 17, 1962, in Omaha, Neb. The couple moved to Grinnell in 1967, where they would have three daughters and where John worked for The Grinnell Herld-Register as a journalist and eventually as an editor.

He was a respected and thorough journalist who earned several prestigious awards for his work, including Iowa Newspaper Association awards for news reporting, feature writing and editorial writing in 1975, 1977, 1982, 1984 and 1988.

He was a devoted husband and father whose interests included politics, national and world affairs, cooking, baseball and the arts.

He is survived by his wife; his three daughters, Andrea Frantz of Dallas, Penn., Karen Whitaker of Iowa City and Sara Tanzosch of Grinnell and their families; one granddaughter; and his sister, Susan Wickham of Des Moines and her family.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Grinnell Regional Hospice or to Stewart Public Library.