John Stephens

John Wayne Stephens was born on May 28, 1950 to Arlis and Rose Mary (Greiner) Stephens in Logan, Iowa. The family lived in Logan and then moved to the Dunlap area where John attended school. He graduated from Dunlap High School in 1968. John moved to Arion after high school and worked at Farmland. He then started farming, going on the wheat run and doing custom farming. John started Stephens Trucking in the late 1970’s. On June 7, 1991, John married Linda Garrett. The couple continued to operate the trucking business until 2009 when they sold the business and moved to Missouri. In Missouri John was a hobby landscaper.

John enjoyed trail rides, traveling, elk hunting, drinking beer with his friends, pickup pulling and racing with his son Jeff. Every spring and fall he would come back to Iowa to plant and harvest his crops.

John died suddenly on Friday, June 7, 2019 at the old farm near Dow City, Iowa at the age of 69 years and 10 days.

John was preceded in death by his parents; step mother, Bernice Stephens; four siblings, infants Mary and Joseph, Patrick Stephens and Philip Stephens; and father-in-law, Alan Garrett. He is survived by his wife, Linda Stephens of Lampe, Missouri; children, Jeff (Buck) Stephens and his wife Michelle of Arion, Kristi Stephens of Arion and Greg Thomsen and his wife Lori of Dunlap; eight grandchildren, Courtney, Cammey, Jeffery (Hodwalker), Christian, Joey,   Jackson, Mandi and Logan; three great grandchildren, Nash, Harper and Henry;  siblings, Jim Stephens and his wife Sue of Dunlap, Mike Stephens of Dow City, Michele and her husband Russell Steffen of Dow City and Susan and her husband Gary Thaman of Denison; sister-in-law, Donna Stephens of Denison; mother-in-law, Maxine Garrett of Denison; sisters and brothers-in-law, Lori and her husband Barney Malone of Arion, Lynette and her husband Kevin Grindle of Carter Lake,  Mark Garrett and his wife Lori  of Dow City and many other relatives and friends.