John Van Vleet

John Van Vleet, 67, of Orient died Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015, at Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines.

A tribute to John will be 4 p.m Friday, Aug. 28, at the Orient United Methodist Church with Pastor Cathy Nutting officiating. Open visitation will be noon to 6 p.m. with family present 3 to 6 p.m. at the church. Burial will be in the Greenfield Cemetery at a later date. Steen Funeral Home, 101 S.E. Fourth St., in Greenfield is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be left at www.steenfunerals.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the John Van Vleet memorial fund to be established by the family at a later date.

John Van Vleet was born on May 19, 1948, the son of Horace and Velma (Ramsbottom) Van Vleet in Creston.

He was raised east of Orient and graduated from Orient-Macksburg schools in 1966. He had farmed all his life and enjoyed his cattle for nearly 40 years. John enjoyed working on projects in his shop and had been collecting small pedal tractors, but his cows came first.

On July 7, 1985, he was united in marriage to Linda Spangler who he met on a “blind date” and they had just celebrated 30 years together. She worked right along side of him for all that time. They didn’t have children, but plenty of them were entertained by their Santa and Mrs. Santa gatherings over the years.

John was a member of the Orient Methodist Church. He was Orient’s first future farmer of Iowa. He was very involved in his community. He was chairman of Pumpkin Days for 11 years and had been an Adair County Supervisor for six years. John ran the Van Vleet and Son Hog Buying Station for many years with his mother.

John was preceded in death by his parents and mother and father-in-law, Arthur and Arlene Spangler.

John is survived by his wife, Linda Van Vleet of Orient; sisters-in-law, Terri Meyer and husband Larry of Eagle Grove and Susan Holst and husband Ron of Webster City; cousins, Cathy Garrett of Indianola, Nile Ramsbottom of Innsbrock, Mo., Terry Chadwick of Creston and Trudy Ramsbottom of Onalaska, Wis.; uncle Raymond Chadwick of Creston; many other aunts and uncles, cousins and many, many friends and neighbors.

Linda is so appreciative of the outpouring support and love that has been given to her at this time by her family, community, friends, neighbors and church members and wishes to thank everyone.