Obituary of John E. Brumley Jr.

John Edgar Brumley, Jr., age 77, died Friday, July 5, 2024. A gathering for friends and family will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., Sunday, July 21, 2024, at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Burial will take place at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Riverside. Memorial contributions can be directed to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or to the Iowa City Animal Shelter.

John Brumley was born August 6, 1946, in Iowa City, IA, to parents John and Gladys (Rasmussen) Brumley. He had a short marriage to Barbara Ford from which his first son, Christopher was born.  He married Ramona Barry on September 5, 1970, in Omaha, NE. The couple later divorced in the fall of 2021.

Growing up in Iowa City John helped his father work on cars out of their garage (Brumley Auto Service), that time sparked a lifelong passion for all things racing. John’s love for the sport led him to many years of stock car racing. He competed at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, and at the tracks in West Liberty, Tipton, Farley and Columbus Junction among others. He was proud of being the 1964 MVSC Rookie of the Year, and the 1989 modified track champion at Columbus Junction raceway. John had a deep appreciation for his race crew, and fellow drivers, friends and fans in the racing community.

John’s love of racing led him to a career working with cars. He spent some time as a car salesmen and working as a body repair technician.  Eventually he became the body shop manager at Winebrenner Ford where he worked for 19 years. Later he worked at Riverside Casino as a dealer. John enjoyed his time at Riverside – he worked there from the day they opened until retiring in 2022.

He was an outgoing person who could talk and talk and talk to anyone. He loved telling stories about racing, fishing, hunting, bowling, and all the shenanigans he and his friends would pull. The stories never changed – John’s memories of those times were set in stone. He was particularly fond of the time he was able to spend with his friend Al Seering.

John’s family includes his daughter, Diane (Curt) Beckler; grandchildren, Curran (Valerie) Beckler, Megan (Tanner Bandy) Beckler, and Chloe Beckler; daughter-in-law, Karen Bok and her children, Liz (Jeff) Frink, Jane Colony, and Wyatt Colony; sister, Florence Haney; sister-in-law, Linda Brumley; and his cats, Ghost and Spooky.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sons, Scott Brumley and Christopher Bok; and by his siblings, Gerald Brumley and Beverly Smith.