James W. Read, 87
Published 2:15 pm Saturday, November 20, 2010

On the morning of Nov. 16, 2010, our dad, grandpa, great-grandpa and brother, James (Jim) William Read, was called to rest with Christ.

Jim was born on April 19, 1923, to Martin and Inez (Long) Read in Spencer, Iowa. Jim was very active in 4-H, basketball, and was the Iowa Boys’ State representative for Arnolds Park, where he graduated and also met his high school sweetheart and future wife, Juanita Delores Reynolds.

Jim served in World War II in the Army Air Corp. When Jim got back to Iowa, he married Juanita and started farming with a brand new John Deere B and great work ethic! In 1948, Jim and Nita were the Iowa G.I. Farm Family Dickinson County Winner, for outstanding achievement in agriculture. In the spring of 1954, Jim moved his family to Austin, Minnesota, where he purchased his first farm and raised his children, Nancy, Rodney, James Sheldon, Rose, Joe Don, Roger, Maynard and Kay LaRae.

Jim took great care of his livestock and farm, and one of his greatest joys was keeping the farm in a 5-year crop rotation for 50 years. Jim was known as the area “Santa” to the neighbor children, and gifted Nita’s famous popcorn balls as he left with sleigh bells ringing. He and Nita also hosted many thrashing demonstrations for the neighbors. Jim was a member of the Brown Swiss Cattle Breeders Association, Suffolk Draft Horse Association, and treasured his faith as a “Golden” 50 plus year member of First United Methodist Church in Austin. Jim served a number of years as the Lyle Township Treasurer. He was so proud of the multiple gallon pins received as a blood donor. Jim continued his love of 4-H while assisting his grandchildren in showing the big brown cows he so loved.

Surviving this gentle man are his children: Nancy (Bill) Dvorak, Rochester, Minn.; Tech.Sgt (USAF retired) Rodney (Mary Margaret) Read, Ledbetter, Texas; Rose (Rev. Dennis) Tamke, Austin; Roger (Lori) Read, Lyle Maynard Read, Rochester; Kay LaRae (Andrew) Lynch, Kettering, Ohio; grandchildren: Chad (Angela) Tamke, Katherine Meyer, Jennifer (Nate) Bastian, Sara (Jon) Burkhart, Elizabeth (Justin) Sommerfeld, Gregory Read, Pete Dvorak (Celeste), Bethany (Kris) Folland, Claire Lynch, Patricia Lynch, and Margaret Lynch; great grandchildren: Peter Meyer, Josie Meyer, Jacob Burkhart, Hannah Burkhart, Mya Burkhart, Jazlynn Folland, Isaac Folland, McKinley Folland, Track Folland, Olivia Sommerfeld, Austin Sommerfeld, Bronson Tamke, Ethan Tamke, Tatum Dvorak and Payton Dvorak; brothers: Dave (Mary) Read, Warsaw, Ind.; Richard (Lola) Read, Lake Park, Iowa; sister: Mary (Merle) Neimann, Ankeny, Iowa; brother-in-law: Melvin Haden, Lytton, Iowa; sisters-in-law, Clara Nelson, Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Rae Dass, Lakefield, Minn., and numerous nieces and nephews.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents, his loving wife, Juanita, sons, James Sheldon and Joe Don, his sister Phyllis Haden.

He has left his children with a love of ice cream, dairy cows, reading, farm auctions, and a tremendous belief in hard work and acts of kindness.

Funeral Services will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, at First United Methodist Church with the Rev. Patricia Toschak officiating. Interment will be in the Cedar City Cemetery. Visitation will be at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary on Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. and for one hour before the service on Tuesday at the church.

Memorials are preferred to the First United Methodist Church or to Cedar City Cemetery.