Wayne H. Geadelmann

Wayne Henry Geadelmann passed away peacefully at Spurgeon Manor, Dallas Center, Iowa on February 1, 2025. During his 88 years, he made a mark on the world through his care for his family, his community and the land.

Wayne was born at home on a farm outside of Clarence, Iowa, on May 9, 1936, to William D. Geadelmann and Milda Schroeder. His early upbringing on the farm influenced his entire life, by teaching the value of hard work, instilling a love and respect for the land, and inspiring a lifetime of land stewardship. Wayne graduated from Clarence High School and went on to Iowa State University where he majored in Ag Economics and was part of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). He was also a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity and remained an active alumnus. After graduation in 1958, Wayne began a banking career in Lowden, Iowa, but soon joined the Brenton Bank system. His first Brenton job was in Adel, Iowa, where he reconnected with Martha Jean Meyer, who had grown up in a town near Clarence and attended the same church.

Martha and Wayne were married on July 7, 1962, and settled in Grinnell, Iowa, where Wayne continued working for Brenton Banks. The two formed lifelong friendships with others in the community. With some of these friends, Wayne founded Land Investors, Inc., and enjoyed many adventures with these friends and business partners. 

In April of 1963, a daughter, Anne, was born to Wayne and Martha in Grinnell. During this time, Wayne continued to serve his country in the U.S. Army Reserves. While away on reserve duty in June of 1965, he was notified that Martha had gone into early labor. He was shocked to be told that she had not one baby, but two! Steven and Scott joined Anne at home after a short stay in the hospital.

Wayne’s Brenton career took the family to Davenport, Iowa in 1969, then on to Adel, Iowa in 1979 where he was named President of the local branch. This was a challenging posting as the country was going through a farm crisis. Wayne led the bank through this difficult time with compassion and integrity. He also served the community through his work for the local Rotary chapter, Adel Developers, and the Chamber of Commerce. 

Wayne retired from Brenton Banks in March of 1993. Within a few months of his retirement, Martha passed away after a short battle with cancer. Through his grief, Wayne looked for ways to continue to help others. He traveled to Riga, Latvia where he spent several months helping the country transition from communism to capitalism by assisting in developing their banking system. Back home he was instrumental in raising funds for Adel’s new public library building which was finished in 2006.

In early 1995, Wayne married Ann Jacobson Jungmann who had previously lost her husband to cancer. They spent many wonderful years together forging strong friendships with others, sharing family events, and traveling to interesting places. One especially memorable trip was to Alaska where they were awed by the beauty of the Denali mountain, and Wayne got even closer to the mountain on a plane ride.

One of Wayne’s lifelong interests was supporting Iowa State athletics. He held season tickets to both football and men’s basketball for many years. He also loved spending time on land he owned south of Adel where he planted hundreds of trees and taught his grandchildren how to recognize and pull noxious weeds. He grew fruits and vegetables, even experimenting with growing blueberries. He was always interested in ways to protect and preserve the health of the land.

He was also passionate about pursuing fitness activities -- golfing and skiing into his 70s and playing early morning basketball into his 80s with players decades younger than him. He loved attending his grandchildren’s activities and enjoyed spending time in Lander, Wyoming where he had a “cabin” (which was really a lovely small house) near Anne’s family.

Wayne is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Merlin Geadelmann, his first wife, Martha Jean Meyer Geadelmann, and his son-in-law, Joe Austin. He is survived by his brother Gene Geadelmann, his sister Roseann (Terry) Schneider, his sister-in-law Shirley Geadelmann, his wife Ann Jungmann, his daughter Anne Austin, his sons Steve (Jill) Geadelmann and Scott (Lori) Geadelmann, his stepsons Matt (Krystal) Jungmann and Jed (Julie) Jungmann, and his grandchildren Henry Austin, Benjamin Geadelmann, Louisa Austin, Lander Geadelmann, William Geadelmann, Jackson Geadelmann, and Ann’s grandchildren Jack, Luke, Kate and Audrey.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center for their kind and compassionate care during the final years of Wayne’s life.

Visitation will be held Friday, February 14, 2025 from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at Caldwell-Parrish Funeral Home in Adel (735 S. 14th St., Adel, Iowa). Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 15, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Adel United Methodist Church (115 South 10th, Adel, Iowa). The service will be livestreamed at the Caldwell-Parish website at: https://player.vimeo.com/video/1053128854

In lieu of flowers or plants, donations may be made to the Adel United Methodist Church or to the Adel Public Library.