John Summerson, 92, of Perry passed away Saturday, June 24, 2023, at the Spring Valley Campus of the Perry Lutheran Homes in Perry, Iowa.
Funeral services will be held Friday, June 30 at 10 a.m. at the Perry Bible Church in Perry. Visitation will be on Thursday, June 29 from 1-7 p.m., with family present from 4-7 p.m. and a Masonic Lodge service at 7 p.m. at the Carris Family Funeral Home and Cremation Care in Perry. Burial will be at the Dallas Township Cemetery in Dawson, Iowa.
John Clinton Summerson was born on July 3, 1930, in Dawson, Iowa, to Joe Morris and June Marie (Repp) Summerson.
He attended Swan Lake School and graduated from Dawson High School.
John served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War.
He was united in marriage to Dorothy Delphenia Vodenik at the First Christian Church in Perry on June 26, 1955.
John farmed until he and Dorothy opened and operated the Summerson Insurance Agency in Perry for many years.
In retirement he went back to helping on the farm and especially enjoyed driving the grain cart.
John was a member of the Perry Bible Church, Otley Masonic Lodge in Perry, was an officer with the Grand Lodge of Iowa, the American Legion and the VFW.
He was an avid reader, loved listening to audio books, going for walks, and creating stained glass art.
John enjoyed farming, learning computer technology, researching the Korean War and writing his memoirs.
In death he rejoins his wife, Dorothy; parents, Joe and June Summerson; brother, Gene Summerson; and daughter-in-law, Deb Summerson.
Left to cherish John’s memory are his sons, David (Janice) Summerson of Perry and Patrick (Denise) Summerson of Dawson; grandchildren, Nathan Summerson of Perry, Stacey (Mike) Wood of Jefferson, Karen (Jairo) Summerson-Vargas of Occoquan, Virginia, and Mark (Jennifer Nyman) Summerson of Austin, Texas; 14 great-grandchildren and one on the way; and a special friend, Ilene Meppelink.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the John Summerson memorial fund for a bench and a tree on his favorite walking path in Wiese Park or to the Perry Food Pantry and may be left at the funeral home. Online condolences may be left at www.carrisfuneralhome.com.
