John Kinney Gordon passed away on Friday, July 21, 2023, at Cherokee Regional Medical Center in Cherokee, Iowa, at the age 83
Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 28th, at 11 a.m. at the Memorial Presbyterian Church in Cherokee, Iowa. Pastor Larry Ostercamp will officiate. Burial will be in the Cedar Cemetery at rural Larrabee, Iowa on Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. ahead of the service. The burial service is open to those wishing to attend. Visitation will be on Thursday, July 27th from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. with the family present from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee, Iowa. The funeral service will be live streamed on the Boothby Funeral Home website with the assistance of Fuller Digital Solutions Online condolences can be left at www.boothbyfuneral.com
The family requests that memorials be sent to Memorial Presbyterian Church or Cedar Cemetery, where the funds will be directed to replant trees lost to a derecho storm.
John was born March 30, 1940, in Lake City, Iowa, the son of Robert S. and Wilma Kinney Gordon. He graduated from Lake City High School in 1958 and then attended Morningside College, where he earned a degree in Business Administration in 1962. Following graduation, John started working for Wilson & Co., where he was employed for 40 years before retiring in 2002. John's career at Wilson & Co. (later called Wilson Foods, and eventually Tyson Foods) moved him around northwest Iowa for a number of years before settling in Cherokee in 1967. He held several positions during his career, including Procurement and Purchasing manager.
John married Dianne Wilkie in 1972 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Cherokee, and was the proud father of Matthew Joseph, born in 1975, and Ann Wilkie, born in 1979.
John was an active member of Memorial Presbyterian Church, where he was an Elder, served on the Trustees, Foundation Board, and chair of the Memorial Committee. Also, he served on the board of Cherokee Rural Water. He was an avid reader: his favorites included national and local newspapers, agriculture, and history magazines. A born farmer, John was happiest when he was working the land. He enjoyed spending time with his family and neighbors, and driving the countryside.
He is survived by his wife Dianne, son Matt and wife Lisa of Cedar Falls; daughter Ann and husband Anthony Startt of Takoma Park, Maryland; sisters Trudy Sundermann of Cedar Rapids and Jennifer Renz of Elmira, New York; sister-in-law Linda Gordon of Iowa City; brother-in-law Scott Wilkie and wife Sally of Larrabee; and three grandchildren: Alexa Gordon, Sam Startt, and Emily Gordon.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother Jim, and brothers-in-law Ronald Sundermann and John Renz.
