John W. LEIST

LEIST, HETHERINGTON, DAVIS, HACKLEY, RESSLER

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 6/2/2007 at 16:45:28

Mason City Globe-Gazette
3 December 1999

John W. Leist, 83, of Alexander, passed away Wednesday (Dec. 1, 1999) at the Belmond Health Care Center in Belmond. Funeral services for John W. Leist will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the United Church of Rowan, with Pastor JoAn Skyrme officiating. Burial will take place in the Graceland Cemetery of Rowan. Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Dugger Ewing Funeral Home in Belmond.

John, the son of Joseph and Hannah (Hetherington) Leist, was born May 26, 1916, on the family farm in rural Humboldt County. He grew up in the Humboldt area, where he attended country school. John began his farming career on a farm in Webster County, west of Badger. John was united in marriage with Virginia Davis in September of 1939 in Bethany, Mo. Following their marriage, the couple moved to a farm in the Rowan area. In 1966, John began farming in Howard County. John continued to reside in Howard County until the early 1990s, when he moved back to Alexander. John entered the Belmond Health Care Center in 1995. John loved the land and enjoyed livestock and milking; he never really retired from farming. He had been known to fix anything with a pliers and a crescent wrench. John enjoyed hunting, trapping and fishing. He was a generous man with a big heart, always remembering to support Boy's Town. John was a member of the Elks Lodge and attended United Church of Rowan. He always lived his faith.

John is survived by three sons, Robert Leist and his wife, Bonnie, of Rowan, Roger Leist and his wife, Carnita, of Dows, and Ronald Leist and his wife, Donna, of Rowan; nine grandchildren, Robin, Roxann, Ronda, Stephanie, Kelly, Brooke, LeRon, John, and Casey; eight great-grandchildren, Alex, Hannah, Zackery, Daniel, Jessica, Ginny, Jeffrey and Eric; special extended family, Betty Gunder Ressler and family and Shirley Hackley and family; numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Virginia, in 1984; six sisters and six brothers. Dugger Ewing Funeral Home