John W. Burr

John W. Burr, 79 of Britt passed away Friday, November 14, 2014 at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.

Funeral services for John Burr will be held on Saturday, November 22, 2014 at 2:00 PM at the Bethel Baptist Church, 480 Main Avenue North, in Britt with Pastor Greg Baum officiating.  Burial will be at Evergreen Cemetery in Britt.

Visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral service at the church on Saturday. 

John William Burr was born February 26, 1935 in Pawling, New York to Howard and Beatrice (Wilcoxin) Burr.

Following high school, John attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, where he earned his undergraduate and Master’s degrees in Aerospace Engineering.  He later earned his MBA from Niagara University in Niagara Falls, New York.

John was united in marriage to Lois Brown on December 1, 1956 in Troy, New York.  The couple was blessed with three children, Kimberly, Heather and Terrance.

John started working in the field of computer programming before beginning his engineering career with Bell Aerospace in Niagara Falls, New York.  He later worked for Union Carbide and Praxair in Tonawanda, New York as a safety and waste water treatment engineer, retiring in 1993.  He held numerous patents, including one for a rocket fuel supply system and was a co-contributor in the publication of a technical text book.

John and Lois made their home around New York before moving to be closer to Kim in Arkansas and Terry in Kansas before settling near Heather in Britt, where the couple has made their home since 2007.

John found great enjoyment in landscaping and gardening.  He was prolific in his annual strawberry crop and subsequent freezer jam.  He loved photography, was a voracious reader, and enjoyed learning about new topics and technologies.  He became certified in both scuba diving and ski patrol.

John’s faith was of utmost importance to him.  He was an active member of the Britt Bethel Baptist Church.  He had previously volunteered as a church bus driver and assisted with nursing home ministry services.

John will be remembered by his family as a very intelligent and inquisitive man.  A loving husband, father and grandfather, a dedicated family man.  He was dependable and humble and strove for excellence every day.

John is survived by his wife, Lois of Britt; children Kimberly (Karl) Young of Britt, Heather (Mark) Schoenwetter of Britt and Terrance (Laura) Burr of Winfield, Kansas; grandchildren Eric Wadding, Arrielle (Richard) Homeyer, Racquel (Frank) Kurzweig, Michael Young, Philip (Bethany) Schoenwetter, Kristin (Jeremy) Dodge, Hope Stone, Leanna Saxon, Angela Lynn, Madison Bisenius, John Burr and Mary Burr; great-grandchildren Dominic and Derek Homeyer and Michael Young, Jr.; siblings Charles (Phyllis) Burr of Vestal, New York and Sylvia (Joe) Easley of Orangevale, California; along with numerous nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.

John was preceded in death by his parents.