John Perry Rutledge - Adel

John Perry Rutledge, age 82, of Adel, Iowa, passed away peacefully at his home on Wednesday, October 23, 2013. Memorial Services will be 11 AM Tuesday, October 29, 2013, at McCalley Funeral Home in Adel. Friends may call after 2 PM Monday, October 28, 2013, at McCalley Funeral Home in Adel, where family will greet friends from 5 to 7 PM.. with a prayer service at 7 PM. Perry was born December 2nd, 1930, in York, Nebraska, the third child of John Wesley Rutledge and Beulah Frances Manly. He was raised and educated in Early, a small town in northwest Iowa where the Rutledge family had lived for generations. He attended Morningside College in Sioux City and Buena Vista College in Storm Lake. He and Carol Genevieve Brewer were married December 26th, 1950, and together they raised three children. Perry's career in the family business at Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance Company of Iowa spanned over 40 years. He started as an adjuster in the 1950s and became a field supervisor in 1952, moving his young family to Hastings, Nebraska. In 1953 they moved to York, Nebraska where the children were raised. He was named State Supervisor and was appointed to the Board of Directors in 1963, after the passing of his father, John. He continued in this capacity until 1970 when he was given a Home Office position in Des Moines, and the family moved to Adel, Iowa. He was named Secretary in 1976 and President in 1986. He presided over the Company through its centennial celebrations in 1993 and retired in December of that year. He was loved and respected by his colleagues for his kindness and generosity, continuing a long tradition of the family-run workplace that made every one of its employees feel at home. All his life, Perry was an avid outdoorsman; he enjoyed hunting, fishing, canoeing, and working outside at his country home. Few priorities were higher than cutting and splitting enough wood for each winter. His grandchildren look forward to burning his firewood for decades to come. In his various positions and travels with FMH, Perry made innumerable friends and acquaintances. He instantly gained the respect and loyalty of all those who met him; he was a man of honesty, integrity, and fair dealing. Perry Rutledge was one you could trust. He could relate to anyone, and his friends were a large and diverse group of people. Those who enjoyed an evening with him could count on good conversation, hospitality, and the occasional tale of Sven and Ole. He enjoyed spending time in his workshop, and his grandchildren and others loved to ride in July Fourth parades in his hand-built Model T Speedster. He married Joyce Ann Hill on May 30, 1980, and was her best friend and companion. They loved to travel and toured all across North America visiting relatives and enjoying natural wonders. They would spend most of every summer at their rustic lake cabin in Canada, where his children and grandchildren enjoyed summer vacations. They appreciated nature and the beauty of the land. Conservation was important to Perry; with the family, the Company, and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, he helped lead the joint effort to restore wetlands at Burrows Pond in Sac County, Iowa. Perry has left a strong legacy of goodness and integrity which his family, friends, and the greater community will cherish for generations to come. We treasure his influence and will keep alive his memory. Perry was preceded in death by his parents, John and Beulah, his brother, Robert, and Joyce's daughter, Kate Hill. He is survived by his wife, Joyce; his sisters Carolyn Woodke and Kathryn "Kappy" Carlson; his son Scott (Janna) Rutledge, and his daughters Barbara (Ted) Raife and Jean Couch; nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Perry loved and will also be greatly missed by Joyce's children, Andy (Mary) Hill, Marjorie (Laurence) Bruen, Louise (David) Kloss, and Douglas Hill; six grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Memorial contributions can be directed to Hospice of Central Iowa. Online condolences may be left at this site. Service: 11:00 AM Tuesday October 29, 2013 McCalley Funeral Home Adel, Iowa Visitation: Friends may call after 2 PM Monday, October 28, 2013. Family will greet friends from 5 to 7 PM. McCalley Funeral Home Adel, Iowa