Obituary of Jack Ray Fesler

On March 29, 2022, Jack R. Fesler left his earthly life to join his Lord, family and friends in eternal life. A casual Hawkeye-themed visitation will be held at Gay & Ciha Funeral Home on Saturday April 2nd. from 2-5 p.m., with a special celebration of his life at 4 p.m. Burial will be held at a later date. Jack was born October 7, 1942, the son of Dan and Evelyn (Kimm) Fesler. In his teen years, he helped in his parents’ businesses and played coronet in the Iowa City High School band. It was at City High where he met the love of his life, Lorna Chadek. He went to work for her father, driving truck for Carl Chadek Trucking, and after graduation in 1961, he joined the Iowa National Guard. Basic training was at Fort Knox and Fort Sam Houston, then he returned quickly to Iowa because he “didn’t want anyone to get my girl.” He stayed with the Guard for eight years and earned the rank of second lieutenant. On his return to Iowa, he attended the University of Iowa and performed with the Hawkeye Marching band. He continued working for Chadek and took a job with Mid Continent bottlers. On April 4, 1964, he married Lorna, his high school sweetheart and best friend for life. They moved to Davenport and started a family. In 1970, he found his calling and spent the rest of his career selling personal and industrial safety products for various companies throughout the Midwest, moving his family back to Iowa City in the early 1980s. Often called “Hawkeye Jack,” he was an avid 6:30 a.m. tailgater. He enjoyed collecting and auctions, and said, “if you have more than two of anything, it’s a collection.” One of his favorite summer month activities was camping at Bluegrass music festivals, where many friends were made. He was also a fan of Dixieland music, and continued playing coronet throughout his life, appearing with the Iowa Military Band and the Monday Night Live band well into his late 70s. At the top of his list was spending time with his family. He was so proud of and loved them all, sentiments they shared completely. Those who will join him some day are his wife Lorna; son Brian (Tracy) of Nashville, Tenn.; daughter Sarah (Rickey) Wasson and grandchildren Alicia, Darren and Preston of Stanton, Ky.; daughter Lisa and grandson Kendall of Coralville; son Christopher (Denise) and granddaughters Meleah and Mallory of Riverside. He is also survived by brother, David (Karen) of Coralville, sisters-in-laws, Jeannette Fulton of Iowa City and Carolyn (Dick) Mathies of Fredonia, Wis. Preceding him on his journey are his parents, parents-in-law Carl and Frieda (Villhauer) Chadek and brother-in-law Keith Fulton. In lieu of plants or flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Jack Fesler Memorial Fund and sent to Gay & Ciha Funeral Home at 2720 Muscatine Ave, Iowa City, IA 52240.