John Werner Axel

1941 - 2025

John Werner Axel

June 10, 1941 - September 2, 2025

MUSCATINE, IOWA – John Werner Axel, age 84, of Muscatine, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at Unity Hospital in Rock Island, Illinois. Ashes will be interred at a private family service. Those who knew him are invited to join a Celebration of Life at Geneva Golf and Country Club from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on October 4, 2025. Memorial gifts may be made to Muscatine Charities. The Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences: www.wittichfuneralhome.com.

John Axel was born on June 10, 1941, in Muscatine, the first child of Wilma and Chester Axel. He was later joined by his brother, Ron and sister, Donna. A born entrepreneur, John claimed to begin his first Muscatine Journal paper route at age four, but that could not be confirmed. John graduated from Muscatine High School in 1959 where he was a three-sport athlete and class treasurer.

John headed to Iowa State where he worked his way through school as a bartender, receiving a B.S. in Industrial Administration in 1964. His leadership skills emerged, as he served as president of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity and chaired VESHA. He would remain a lifelong contributor to the Iowa State community. It was also at Iowa State that John met Joan Carol Urenn ("Joni") and asked her out. To Joni's surprise, but not John's, she accepted the offer. So began a 60-year partnership that included too many fun times to count and a handful of challenges they faced together. John said his marriage to Joni was the best decision he ever made.

John attended the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, gaining a graduate degree in public finance. In 1966, John and Joni returned to Muscatine where John put his finance skills to work in earnest, beginning a 30-year career at HON Industries. Starting as a corporate planner, within 12 years John would become the company's Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer. During his tenure, the company grew rapidly and by 1986 HON had joined the Fortune 500, with revenues exceeding $500 million. John would serve as HON's CFO until 1994, when he started two businesses of his own, ESI and Perfect Pallett, which he ran for the next twenty years with the help of a dedicated and loyal group of employees.

John was active in the Republican Party in the 1970's and 80's, putting his leadership and finance skills to work for candidates like Jim Leach and Bob Ray. Perhaps his crowning political achievement was helping a little-known former ambassador named George H. W. Bush achieve an upset victory over Ronald Reagan in the 1980 Iowa Caucus, a victory that propelled Bush to the White House eight years later.

Although comfortable rubbing elbows in Washington, John's heart and his service remained focused on Muscatine. Over sixty years, he served on the boards of the YMCA, Musser Public Library, Jaycees, the Muscatine Chamber of Commerce, the County Mental Health Association and the Muscatine School Board. He also served as President of the Rotary Club, the Muscatine Athletic Council, and the 33 Club. An active Rotarian, John helped open the Club to women and eventually received the Club's highest honor, the Paul Harris Fellowship Award. He was instrumental in obtaining funding for both the Musser Public Library Building and the Public Safety Building. In 1999, he co-founded Muscatine Charities, Inc., which over the next 25 years would raise and distribute millions of dollars to charitable organizations serving the community.

When he moved back to Muscatine, John picked up the game of golf and joined Geneva Golf & Country Club. As with most organizations he loved, John assumed a leadership role at the club, serving as president, helping expand the course from nine to 18 holes, and funding an endowment to pay for course improvements. The friendships that John made on the course and around the 19th hole at Geneva were some of the deepest and most rewarding of his life, none more so than that with Tom "Taco" Hendricks.

John's avocations were not limited to the golf course; he also had an artistic side. John penned "The Last Crossing," an ode to the old Muscatine Bridge, a poem that can still be read on a Riverfront Monument. And although not a trained vocalist, John enjoyed singing, performing at weddings, church services, galas, and funerals. You might not know it by looking at him, but John was also a great dancer. In his younger days, John would whip Joni around the dance floor, even placing in dance contests. He still cut a rug into his later years.

Although his contributions to his community are legion, John will be missed most for his warmth, humor, and capacity to give. Whether it was as husband, father, grandpa, or friend, John took tremendous joy in the success of others. And in a world where many find it hard to express love, he showed his in myriad ways: with enveloping hugs, giving over-the-top gifts, driving hundreds of miles to shuttle loved ones wherever they needed to go and as an exuberant fan on the sidelines or pool deck. John lived without fear. That allowed him to sing when others were silent, to fight for what he believed, and to show those around him that he loved them. It was his best quality.

In the end, the man who his friends affectionately referred to as "Black Bear," was felled by an aggressive lymphoma that moved quickly. In his final days, the cancer left him weakened and barely able to communicate; but before he took his last breath, Black Bear had a final scoop of ice cream, kissed his wife on the hand, said goodbye to his dearest friend, and sang one last song.

John is survived by his wife, Joni; brother, Ron; sister, Donna; sons, Andy and Brad; daughters-in-law, Elizabeth and Andrea; and grandchildren, Maddy, Katy, Day, and Emily.

He was preceded in death by his parents.