John McBride

John W. McBride, 83, of Eldora, passed away on Monday, February 15, 2010 at the Mary Greeley Medical Center in Ames, Iowa . Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2010 10:30 am at the Eldora United Methodist Church in Eldora with Pastor Richard Boatman officiating. Interment will follow immediately at Eastlawn Memory Garden in Eldora. Visitation will be Friday, February 19 ^th from 5 to 8 pm at Creps-Abels Funeral Home in Eldora.

John was born on June 14, 1926, in Eldora, the son of Wesley & Mary (Gantert) McBride. He was born and raised in the Eldora area, attending the New Providence school district. When John was a young boy, he lost both of his parents. At age 13, Forest and Sadie Rogers raised him until he was 17 years old. In 1944, John enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in the South Pacific.

In 1946, he was honorably discharged and John returned home to Eldora. He met Hazel Vieman and the two were united in marriage in March 1948. The couple adopted their 10 month old twins, son Bruce and daughter Rebecca on September 27, 1961. The couple were later divorced.

John later met Sharon Davis and they were united in marriage on December 16, 1977 in Waterloo, IA.

John worked as a mechanic for Wood Auto in Eldora for 27 years. From 1981 to 1989, John operated J & D Auto with Dave Holloway. He then worked for Bill’s ’66 until retiring in 1997.

John was a member of the Eldora Fire Department since 1955 and was the local fire chief for 20 years. He was a charter member of the Lions Club and was a member of the Eldora United Methodist Church . He also served on the Board for the Pine Lake Country Club for 6 years.

He enjoyed camping, fishing, hunting, golfing, bowling , enjoyed baseball and coaching Bruce’s Little League Team. John was an avid Hawkeye fan and loved the color red. John was very patriotic and proud to be an American. John cherished spending time with his family and especially enjoyed traditions such as celebrating the 4 ^th of July at Lake Ponderosa .

John is survived by his wife Sharon of Eldora; children Bruce (Karen) McBride of Marshalltown and Becky (Mark) Crout of Salinas, CA; step-children Liz (Terry) Barnes of State Center, Jeff (Kelly) Davis of Colorado Springs, CO, Joe Davis of Charles City and Debbie (Glen) Howard of Henderson, NV; 8 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren; niece Mary Webb and her husband Ted of Westminster, CO. He was preceded in death by his parents; 2 brothers Leonard and Robert McBride.

Memorials may be directed to the family.