Glenn Wilburn Ferrell died October 14, 2024, at the Parkview Care Center in Fairfield, Iowa, due to complications of a long illness.
A visitation for family and friends will be held 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Thursday, November 7, 2024 at Behner Funeral Home in Fairfield. A Memorial Mass celebrating his life will be 10:00 a.m. Friday, November 8th at St. Mary Catholic Church in Fairfield. Expect there to be bagpipes. Burial will be at Prairie Center Cemetery in Packwood. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Mary Catholic Church, Fairfield High School FFA, or Jefferson County 4-H and mailed to the family at 2096-155th St. Fairfield, IA 52556.
Glenn was born September 4, 1939, at the Jefferson County Hospital to James “J.W.” and Mary Lee (Harmond) Ferrell. Glenn was the youngest of three boys. He was baptized and attended the First Baptist Church in Fairfield until joining St. Mary Catholic Church in Fairfield after his marriage.
Glenn attended Blackhawk #7, a country school, where he started classes a year early as the teacher needed one more student to keep the school open. He then attended Fairfield High School, graduating in 1957. While attending Fairfield, he played football and was active in FFA, holding many offices. He was also awarded the Iowa Farmer Degree. Following graduation, he attended Iowa State University and completed the Department of Agriculture Studies Winter Program. He then returned to Fairfield to farm with his father. Glenn believed in soil conservation and was one of the first farmers in the county to practice no-till and low-till farming.
When not on the tractor, Glenn worked at the Malleable Iron Foundry and Falco Aluminum. Glenn also worked with Bob Kiefer, doing whatever jobs needed to be done.
His family life began when he married Constance “Connie” Fedler, April 30, 1966, at St. Mary of Assumption Catholic Church in West Point, Iowa. The new couple moved to a farm south of Veo and farmed fields north of Fairfield. They welcomed their son, Joseph, in March 1967 and their daughter, Jill, in 1974.
In 1973, Glenn was selected to attend the Young Farmers Educational Institute in Indianapolis, Indiana. He, Norman Baird, and three other farmers learned to facilitate and exchange information with others in agriculture to build understanding and strengthen agricultural practices. This conference resulted in the formation of the Iowa Young Farmers Educational Association in Iowa. Glenn was also honored to serve as a representative to many other national institutes and worked with Fairfield Agriculture instructor Roger Harrington.
As agriculture was the center of his life. In 1977, they moved to the farm north of Fairfield, where they raised cattle, hogs, corn, soybeans, and hay. Glenn was a 4-H leader and served on the Jefferson Country Fair Board for many years.
Glenn was an avid participant in his Class of ‘57 reunions, often making souvenirs for his classmates. He also enjoyed playing card games with friends. His passion for woodworking leaves an enduring legacy with family and friends receiving rolling pins, wooden spoons, cutting boards, Christmas sleds, and sleighs (made from the corncrib boards from Connie’s folk’s farm), as well as other quirky items like outhouses. Ask his niece Shelly about the special one-of-a-kind “spanking spatula.” When Connie and Glenn celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, guests all received a commemorative stir stick. Glenn appreciated his family and heritage and had pottery crafted at Iron and Lace that featured his grandfather’s barn in Tennessee. Those pieces are treasured by his brothers, nieces, nephews, and children. Glenn even crafted the box that will house his cremains.
Anyone who knows Glenn knows he was a collector. He loved books, Fostoria American glass, art, and magazines. He especially loved pieces from Rick Cain and had the opportunity to visit his studio in Gainesville, Florida. His love of Fostoria started when he and Connie chose it as their wedding crystal. He even built Connie a solid cherry cupboard wide enough to hold her torte plate and 20-inch punch bowl. Glenn was an avid reader and loved Westerns, but he would also devour a cookbook like a novel. He put his hundreds of cookbooks to good use as he was a fantastic cook. His jambalaya was always a family favorite (except when it was a little too spicy, even for Glenn). Glenn also loved dogs, especially Boxer dogs. The first words out of his mouth to Joe were always to ask about the “pups.” Over the years, Glenn also cared for countless farm cats (and the accompanying raccoons and possums).
Even as his health deteriorated over the past few years, he still loved being with family and friends, celebrating holidays and birthdays.
Glenn was preceded in death by his parents and parents-in-law; brothers, Jim and Bob; brothers-in-law, Ted, Ed, and Mark Fedler; sisters-in-law, Christine (Fedler) Olson and Lori (Fedler) Humphrey; and sisters-in-law, Vivienne and Alice Ferrell. Left to celebrate his life are his wife, Connie; son, Joe (Tammy) of Roland, Iowa; daughter, Jill (Karl) of Fairfield; and grandchildren, Julia (James) Erickson of Richfield, Minnesota, Izadora of Des Moines; and the adorable three-year-old, Niko, whom Grandpa taught to love cowboy shows. 