John Eyerly

John Eyerly, born January 22, 1944 to Kenneth and Eathel Eyerly, passed away peacefully at home, June 15, 2022 with his wife, Rita, by his side. John grew up west of Winterset and helped his family run Pine Ridge, which offered many amenities like a grocery store and cabin rentals. He graduated from Winterset High School in 1962, and shortly after graduation enlisted in the US Air Force for three years. On July 18th, 1966, John married Rita Gray in Colorado, and together they raised their son, Eric. John held many jobs, as he could truly do just about anything. He worked at the Register and Tribune Newspaper in Des Moines, managed Rose Hill Garden Center in West Des Moines, and his most recent job was an "office" job at the Winterset Mini Storage. The years 1977 to 1987 were spent in Colorado, where John worked at the Climax Mine in Leadville, and later worked for a contractor building homes and cabins. John and Rita enjoyed hiking, camping & climbing the “14'ers” (mountain peaks exceeding 14,000 feet) in Colorado. In 1987, John, Rita and Eric moved back to Iowa to help take care of their aging parents. In 1993, John & Rita, together, rebuilt the farmhouse where Rita grew up. They completed nearly all the work themselves and live there today. John and Rita would have been married for 56 years in July. An interesting fact about John is that he took piano lessons at the age of 49. He and Rita bought a player piano, and people seemed to enjoy it more than hearing John play! If anyone knew John, he had a passion for playing golf and traveling. John took his golf clubs on just about every vacation and knew where the nearest golf course was located at all times. He enjoyed driving the golf ball farther than many of his younger friends at the country club and coming home with an extra dollar or two in quarters. He continued to golf throughout his life up until this past spring. John enjoyed sharing his passion for golf with his grandkids and taught all three of them the basics of a good drive. John loved golf so much that his preferred method of travel around the farm was his golf cart. John and Rita loved to travel, and visited nearly every state and Spain. Out of all the places they visited, John's favorite place was Alaska. John loved the outdoors and enjoyed seeing the natural sites around the country. He was known to request meatloaf sandwiches and have "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson on repeat during long road trips. He requested that it be the only song played at his funeral. John lived a full life and had travel experiences that most people dream of. Those who were closest to him will no doubt miss his stories that he had a tendency to embellish (just a little)… John could put up a front at times, but friends and family knew that behind that front was a deeply caring man, and that is how he will be remembered. John is survived by his wife, Rita; son, Eric; daughter-in-law, Jenny Eyerly; grandkids, Jessie Leichty, Austin Eyerly and Molly Eyerly; and great grandchildren, Bridger Leichty and Rylin Leichty; and his brother, Don (Patty) Eyerly. John was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Bob Eyerly. A memorial service honoring his life will be held 11:00 AM Wednesday, June 22, 2022, at The Madison County Historical Complex Museum in Winterset with Ed McDaniel officiating. Family will greet friends at the museum from 9:30 to 11:00 AM before the service.