65280_John Thomas ~Tommy~_Koehler
FOREST CITY | John Thomas “Tommy” Koehler, age 69, of Forest City died Sunday, September 29, 2013, at Muse-Norris Hospice Inpatient Unit in Mason City.
Visitation will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. Thursday, October 3, 2013, at Petersen Lund Funeral Home 505 N Clark Street in Forest City Iowa.
Graveside Services will follow visitation at Grant Township Cemetery in rural Woden, Iowa.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial be directed to the Good Samaritan Society.
John Thomas “Tom” Koehler was born in 1943, the son of Harley and Anne (Madson) Koehler. Anne later married Allan Hanna and John lived with them on a farm near Woden, Iowa. John went to rural one room school until he started eighth grade at Woden Schools. He was a 4-H member and showed sheep and rabbits at the Winnebago County fair. He also attended Grant Lutheran Church. John graduated from Woden-Crystal Lake High School.
After high school he drove truck for Marting Manufacturing in Britt, hauling hog feeders throughout the United States. John went to a school in Omaha for training in Autobody Repair. He was employed by Pritchard Auto of Britt after graduating from the Omaha school.
He lived in California for 2-3 years before returning to the Ames area where he worked for Benson Motors. Later in his working career, John worked as a nursing aide at the Good Samaritan Care Center in Forest City.
John was diagnosed with schleroderma in his mid-50s, which eventually was a leading cause for his death. John was preceded in death by his grandparents, his biological father, a sister, Patricia and his step- father.
He is mourned by his mother, Anne Hanna; his siblings, Carol Neal and Paul Hanna; his sister- in- law, Jeanette Hanna; and his niece and great-nieces and nephews.
The family would like to express gratitude to all those who cared for John over the years at Mercy Medical Hospital, Good Samaritan Care Center, Nora Springs Care Center, and most recently Hospice of Northern Iowa. His care givers were also family to him and he enjoyed his interactions with them.
Petersen Lund Funeral Home,Forest City, IA; 641-585-2685; www.petersenlundfh.com