Jim Ganoe

Jim Ganoe, 70, of Menlo died Wednesday, March 2, 2016 at his home. A celebration of life gathering will be held from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m., Friday, March 4, at Ochiltree Funeral Service in Winterset, where the family will be present during this time. A private committal with military honors will take place in the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter. Memorials may be made to the family for a later designation and online condolences may be left for the family at ochiltree.com. James Dwight Ganoe, son of Dwight and Opal (Anker) Ganoe, was born June 24, 1945 in Iowa City, Iowa. He grew up in Madison County and graduated from Winterset High School in 1963. Jim served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War receiving a National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with 2 Bronze Stars as well as a Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. He was first married to Kathy Amos and later married Jean Percy in an intimate ceremony in his mother’s backyard in Winterset on July 4, 1981. During his working years, Jim worked as an electrician and a plumber. He worked for many years around Winterset and Madison County and later worked exclusively as a commercial electrician. His commercial work took him to many places including Oklahoma, Arizona, Mississippi and California. He retired in 2007 and moved back to Iowa in 2009 settling on his acreage near Greenfield where he could hunt and fish. Also in his later years, he enjoyed gardening. He was a lifelong member of the First Christian Church as well as the American Legion and V.F.W. all in Winterset. Jim was a loving father, brother and grandfather who cherished the time he was able to spend with his family. Jim is survived by his wife, Jean Ganoe of Menlo; three children, Jason (Carol) Ganoe of Morrisville, NC, Angela (Randy) Allison of Earlham, and Matt Smith of Des Moines; siblings, Sharon (Lowell) Sankey of Winterset, and Bill (Debbie) Ganoe of Van Meter; 3 grandchildren, Cael Allison, Jake and Zach Ganoe; extended family and a host of friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant brother.