Obituary of John Wendell Simonson

PLEASE NOTE DUE TO THE CURRENT WEATHER WE ARE HAVING, JOHN'S SERVICES WILL BE CHANGED TO SUNDAY, JANUARY 21ST, 2024 AT THE SAME TIMES.  THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.

John W. Simonson, age 76, retired member of the Iowa State Patrol, died at his home surrounded by his family and friends, Monday, December 11, 2023.

Visitation for family and friends will be held Sunday, January 21, 2024, from 1 to 3 pm at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Services celebrating John’s life will begin at 3pm, which will include honors from our military and the Iowa State Patrol.  In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made in John’s memory to Safe Haven of Iowa County (2783 Hwy 6 Trail, South Amana, IA 52334), Essence of Life Hospice (606 39^th. Ave. Amana, IA 52203) or Oxford Fire Department and First Responders (205 Augusta Ave, Oxford, IA 52322). 

John Wendell Simonson was born February 9, 1947, in Algona, Iowa. The son of Wendell C. and Alice R. (Johnson) Simonson. John attended and graduated from Clear Creek High School in Oxford in 1965. He was drafted into the United States Army right after high school, spending most of his time in Germany. After returning he worked at Proctor and Gamble and the Johnson County engineers office.  In 1974 he began his lifelong career with the Iowa State Highway Patrol.  He retired in 2004 after serving 31 years. Though you never really retire from the State Patrol, you are always a part of the trooper family, which John was so proud of. 

While John was in Germany, he sent a ring for his Dad to present to his high school sweetheart, Linda K. Tomash.  She said yes.  John returned home in 1968 and they were married at the Federated Church in Oxford. They shared 55 precious years together. John and Linda moved to Newton where they made their home during John’s career. Their son Jeff was born in 1978. Through the years they enjoyed traveling with Jeff and showing him various places in the United States. John will always remember his 70th Birthday, when Jeff and Dayna took them to see the USS Iowa in California. This was one of John’s lifelong dreams. The family enjoyed several trips down to Ruthledge Missouri where they camped with family and friends over the years. Throughout their life they rescued many dogs and cats. John would see an abandoned animal on TV, and they would go find it and bring it home to be part of their family. After retirement John and Linda moved down to southern Iowa and had a cabin built by Linda’s Brother, Jim. They had so many good years there riding around the hills on their four wheelers and enjoying homemade wine laughing and talking with Dale and Virginia. In 2012 John and Linda moved to Parnell. John truly enjoyed spending time with his brothers visiting their special gun shop, Brownell's.  They made several toasts together downstairs with John’s homemade wine talking about their special memories together. John always loved his morning coffee with his fellow troopers in Newton sitting around a big table together. Later he enjoyed getting together with his coffee Buddie Joe in Iowa City. John and Linda loved sitting out on the front porch in their rocking chairs made by a friend trooper for John’s retirement. John treasured looking out at their front and back yards and seeing all the hard work they put into it. They loved feeding the birds, planting flowers shrubs and trees, and making a refuge for all the wildlife around their home. He was so proud of his little orchard when it was finally producing fruit for them to eat. Their good neighbors took care of things around their place when he could no longer do it himself. He and Linda were so very grateful for them. On John’s last night on this earth a choir from Harvest Baptist church came and gathered around his bed to sing him Christmas carols. He had a big smile on his face the whole time.  In his final days John shared with the hospice nurse some of his most precious memories. One favorite memory he shared was of him sitting alone by a mountain stream in Montana. What peace he felt that day. His most precious memories were spending time with Jeff, at home, when he was a little boy.

John did things his own way, and he lived life to the fullest. He loved all his family and friends dearly.  He will be missed by so many, but his memory will carry on in all our hearts forever.

His family included his wife Linda, their son Jeff Simonson (Dayna); siblings, Don “Brian” Simonson (Terrie), Becky Burns (Patrick) and Bob Simonson (Carol); nieces and nephews Kimberlee, Clint, Natalie, Adam, Charlie, Alec. Nick, Cory, Nathan, Holly, Tarena, Bowe, and JJ. A number of great nieces and nephews, John’s Favorite mother-in-law, Maxine Tomash. sister-in-law, Kim Tomash; and special aunts and uncles.

 John was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents, sister, Barbara Jensen; father-in-law, Leonard Tomash;  brother-in-law, Jim Tomash; and nephews Ryan and Christopher.