Jerry E. Wells, 84, of Mt. Pleasant, died Tuesday, December 1, 2020 at the Great River Medical Center in West Burlington.
A funeral mass for Mr. Wells will be celebrated at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, December 9 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, 607 S. Jackson St., Mt. Pleasant. Father Paul Connolly will celebrate the mass. Burial will be in the St. Alphonsus Cemetery will military honors conducted by the US Naval Funeral Honors Detail and the Henry County Honor Guard. Friends may call from 10 AM – 7 PM on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at the Kimzey Funeral Home. The family will not be present.
The funeral mass will be livestreamed on the St. Alphonsus Church website. Masks will be required, and social distancing guidelines will be in place for the visitation and funeral mass. Memorials in lieu of flowers will be directed to Veterans charities to be determined later. On line condolences may be left at www.kimzeyfuneralhome.com.
Jerry Eugene Wells was born December 29, 1935 in Omaha, NE. He was the son of Orville Eugene and Hilda Opal (Powers) Wells. Jerry moved with his family to Mt. Pleasant when he was a year old. He attended Mt. Pleasant High School where he played football and entered the US Naval Reserves. Jerry graduated in 1954 and entered the US Navy. He served aboard the USS Wontauck and the USS Whitemarsh. On September 15, 1956 at St. James the Less Catholic Church in St. Paul, IA, Jerry was united in marriage to Georgine Sporkman.
Jerry began his working career as a bricklayer and later owned his own brick making company. He accepted a position in the Maintenance Dept. of the Iowa State Penitentiary in Ft. Madison. He rose to become the Maintenance Supervisor of the prison from which he retired.
Mr. Wells was a 64-year member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church and the Knights of Columbus Council of Houghton, and the American Legion Robert Tribby Post #58 of Mt. Pleasant. He was a life-long residence on his family’s farm where he enjoyed gardening, hunting and mushrooming. Cutting wood brought great satisfaction to Jerry, as did building “campfires” with his children and grandchildren.
Those thankful for sharing in Jerry’s life include his wife of over 60 years, Georgine of Mt. Pleasant; 2 daughters and their husbands – Debbie & John Mascarenas of Mt. Pleasant and Donna & Dennis Maloney of Lake Worth, FL; 7 grandchildren – Bobbie (Mark) Sieren, Jamie (Joe) Guerra, Mindie (Michael) Duke, Evan (Kadie) Johannson, Justice (Marcelo) Barreto, Ayla (Dillon) Armstrong and Harley Carle and 5 great grandchildren.
His mother and father, step-father, Lloyd Alliman, and a grandson, Matthew Manning, precede Jerry in death.