Glenn Warren Wassom

Glenn W. Wassom, 95, of Bishop Drumm Care Center, Johnston, IA died early Tuesday morning 7/13/21 after 10+ years residency on campus. Glenn Warren Wassom was born on February 16, 1926 to Howard Oak & Nancy Elizabeth Wassom on a farm north of Laurens, IA. His middle name is in honor of his uncle Warren Wassom of Laurens who served in both WWI & WWII with his same rank & serial number from WWI. Years later, his family moved to a farm south of Laurens where he was raised with six siblings, graduated from LHS in 1943. Since he was only 17 and his mother did not want a third son in WWII, Glenn worked one year for Everett Tussing on his farm for an agricultural deferment before enlisting in the US Navy July 25, 1945. He became a Seaman First Class, played saxophone in the military band and received honorable discharge on July 26, 1946. After his Naval training & service in WWII during summers of 1948 to 1950, Glenn partnered with his brother Arley Joe Wassom in the Custom Harvesting Combine program which began in WWII to help feed USA & Allied troops to win the war in Europe. They began with a $1000 loan from Laurens State Bank on their father’s signature to buy a used combine, then repaid the loan in only a few weeks, much to the surprise of their proud father Howard and the bank. Glenn attended Iowa State College in Ames, IA 1946 to 1953 majoring in Agricultural Economics, living at Friley Hall, where he met the love of his life, Mary Berry, on 1/31/1950 at a Sadie Hawkins dance. They married on Thanksgiving Day 11/23/50 and raised daughters Barbara Jo, born in 1952 and Debra Sue, born in 1956. Upon graduation with a B.S. in Ag Economics in 1953, Glenn worked in the Iowa State Seed Laboratory until 1959 when he began rental farming at five farms in 10 years at Churdan, Lake City, Laurens on the farm where he was born, next at Manning and he ended farming at Shell Rock in 1969 when he was hired by the Iowa Crop & Livestock Reporting Service at the Federal Building in Des Moines as the only farmer on staff. He was given the toughest farmers who refused to talk to the “city boys” who surveyed Iowa farmers for their crop & livestock numbers & statistics. But Glenn would always have success with them all because obviously he was a “real” farmer who could talk farming to “real farmers.” As an Agricultural Statistician, he proudly retired in 1992 from the State of Iowa payroll as a successful farmer after all! Glenn is survived by his two daughters: Barbara Jo Wassom Pedersen of Des Moines; Debra & Tim Heldt of Johnston; two grandsons: James Christopher & Khuan Ho Heldt of Beaverdale & Daniel John Heldt of Johnston; Brother Scott Wassom of Arkansas; Sister-in-Law, Jane Lavonne (Clyde) Wassom of Kansas; Wassom nieces: Luanne Nelson, Dianne Austin, Karen Stewart, Catharine Wassom, Lauri Lyon Myers; nephews: Steven Clyde, Robert Glenn, Jamie, Tim, John, Jeff & Scott II Wassom, Jay & John Lyon, Ray II, Rick, Randy & Steven Stefani; plus Berry nieces Diane Prescott & Denise Berry; nephews Mark, Scott & Jeff Berry, plus all their families in IA, KS, SD, LA, AZ, CA, IN, & VT. Glenn was a member of The First Christian Church and is preceded in death by his parents: Howard Oak & Nancy Elizabeth; wife Mary Berry Wassom; four brothers: Harold, Clyde, Arley Joe & Richard Wassom; sister Phyllis Stefani; nephews Jerry & Lyle Wassom and niece Linda Wassom Lyon. Funeral Services Friday 7/16 will be at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home, 8201 Hickman Road, Urbandale, IA, visitation at 10AM, Service at 11AM. Burial is at 2:00PM in Iowa Falls at Union Cemetery next to Mary Berry and her grandparents Orval Silas & Lurana Jane Carpenter, and dinner at 502 Cafe in downtown Iowa Falls, IA Memorials for Glenn Wassom may be made to Bishop Drumm Retirement Center where Glenn & Mary resided on campus 19.5 years.