John H. Neef

John H. Neef, 88, of Newton, died Monday, May 4, 2020, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Memorials to John’s family (checks made payable to Julie Neef) may be mailed to Wallace Family Funeral Home.

John, the son of Jacob and Henrietta (Willemsen) Neef, was born Jan. 3, 1932, at his family’s home in Bussey. He grew up in the Otley area and attended Marion County Rural Schools. They later moved to Monroe where John graduated from Monroe High School in 1951. He then moved to Newton. On June 10, 1967, John was united in marriage with Julie Bequeaith in Des Moines. John was a service technician for Maples Chevrolet for many years. After his retirement from there, he continued to do mechanic work on his own. John was a member of Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall. He enjoyed traveling and restoring old tractors.

John is survived by his wife, Julie Neef of Newton; children, Jerry (Sue) Neef of Cedar Rapids, Kevin (Tanya) Neef of Hiawatha and Jennifer (Franz) Patterson of Newton; grandchildren, Mackenzie Neef, Natasha Neef and Keesha (Cody) Behrens; great-grandchildren, Mavis and Amanda; and his siblings, Jake (JoAnn) Neef, Nellie (Verle) Verdught and Cornie (Jackie) Neef. He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Betty Neef; and son, James Neef.