John Henry Smith was born June 24, 1938 in Granville, Iowa. He was the son of Wesley John Smith and Rita Viola Schallau Smith.
John grew up in the Primghar area. In 1956, he graduated from Primghar High School. He was united in marriage to Karen Sue Stuehrk on Sept. 3, 1960. They became the parents of four children: a son, John F.; and three daughters: Rhonda, Debbie, and Diane. The family moved to Jefferson in 1963.
John served in the Army Reserve from 1961 – 1963 and in the National Guard from 1963- 1969, achieving the rank of Sergeant E-5. In June of 2000, John retired after 42 years with the Iowa Department of Transportation, working in Survey and Inspection. He also enjoyed working part-time for Bob Ausberger and Dennis Ostrander on their family farms.
While living in Jefferson, John served as a 4-H Leader for 10 years. He belonged to the Jefferson Elks Lodge and enjoyed golfing. John and Karen enjoyed dancing, roller skating, traveling to see family, day trips to the casino and playing cards. He was a long-time member of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
John and Karen moved to Northridge Village in Ames in 2015. He passed away in Ames, Iowa on March 26, 2023, at the age of 84 years. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wesley and Rita Smith; parents-in-law, Hans and Hertha Stuehrk; son, John F. Smith; brothers-in-law: Harold Thompson and Pat Rush; and sisters-in-law: Barb Smith and Joan Brown.
John is survived by his wife, Karen Smith of Ames; daughters: Rhonda (Joe) Coffman of Ankeny; Debbie (Bob) Sees of Lee’s Summit, MO; Diane Smith of Wichita, KS and daughters-in-law: Deb Smith of St. Joseph, MO and Emily Runyan of Wichita, KS; granddaughters: Jordan (Zander Clucas) Smith of Lakewood, OH; Hope Smith of St. Joseph, MO; Ashley (Mike) Behm of Ankeny; Katelyn (Austin) Shelp of Carroll; Nicole (Shawn) Aguiniga of Lee’s Summit, MO; Megan (Eric) Hawthorne of Independence, MO; and Cassie Sees of Lee’s Summit, MO; and great-grandchildren: Juliet Behm, Joslyn Behm, Jadyn Shelp, Kayden Aguiniga, Eden Aguiniga, Evelyn Hawthorne, and Audrey Hawthorne.
Also surviving are brothers and sisters: Rose Rush of Cannon City, CO; Lenny Thompson of Buffalo Lake, MN; Wesley (Shirley) Smith of Pittsburgh, MO; Sue Smith of Remsen; Nancy Smith of Sioux Falls, SD; Richard Smith of Forsyth, MO; Bill (Joyce) Smith of Storm Lake and Mary (Jack) Kennedy of Sioux Falls, SD; sister-in-law, Donna (Marvin) Scherr of Ames, IA; many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
John and his family wish to extend special thanks to Donna and Marvin Scherr, Mary (Larry) Spear, the staff of Northridge Village and St. Croix Hospice.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday March 30 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jefferson. Following the service, the family will visit with friends at St. Joseph’s Parish Center from 2-4 p.m. Refreshments will be served. John donated his body to Des Moines University for anatomical study. Interment will be at a later date at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Jefferson.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Northridge Village Health Care Activities Department in Ames.
John’s family will remember his kind, caring, loving and fun spirit. He never knew a stranger and would help anyone in need. He was a faithful and devoted husband, dad, grandpa, great-grandpa, and friend.