Doug R. Shutts

Doug Shutts, age 68, of Grinnell, died on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at his home. A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 22, 2012 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell. Interment will be in Westfield Cemetery south of Grinnell. Visitation will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. on Monday at St. Mary's Catholic Church and the family will receive friends from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. A scripture service will be held at 8:00 p.m. Doug often said that one of his greatest accomplishments was that all three of his children had college degrees. He believed strongly that every child deserved to go to college, and therefore, in lieu of flowers, memorials may be designated in his name to Grinnell-Newburg Dollars For Scholars, Montezuma Dollars For Scholars, and the Wounded Warrior Project, mailed in care of the Smith Funeral Home, P.O. Box 368, Grinnell, Iowa 50112. Memories and condolences may be shared with his family at www.smithfh.com. Douglas Ray Shutts was born on October 12, 1943 in Des Moines, Iowa to Francis "Dugan" and Pauline (Kress) Shutts. He was raised on the family farm southwest of Sully, Iowa and he graduated from Lynnville-Sully High School with the class of 1962. He then worked for Schmidt Construction in Sully, Meredith Construction in Grinnell, and Miracle Recreation in Grinnell, respectively. Doug was united in marriage to Mary M. Corbett on June 3, 1966 at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell, Iowa. To this union were born a son, Christopher and two daughters, Anjela and Amanda. In 1967, he became a reserve officer at the Grinnell Police Department. He then attended the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy in Des Moines in 1970 and became a full time officer at the Grinnell Police Department until his retirement in 1988. Continuing his public service, in 1988, he became employed by Poweshiek County, where he ran the Zoning, County Relief and Emergency Management Departments. He helped implement the Emergency 911 mapping system. A true public servant, he was elected to the Poweshiek County Board of Supervisors in 2004, where he was a part of the planning and construction of the new county jail. Doug was also a member of the Grinnell-Newburg School Board from 1984 – 1990, helped organize the Poweshiek County Master Gardener's Club in the late 1990's, and from 2007 – 2010 was Grinnell's Farmer's Market Master. Doug held a strong love for his family and his faith. He was a longtime member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Grinnell and was an icon of the Grinnell Youth Baseball Softball Association. His enjoyments included gardening, working with kids, community service, and he was an avid Iowa Hawkeyes, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Cubs fan. Doug is survived by his wife of 45 years, Mary Shutts of Grinnell; his children, Sgt. 1st Class Christopher (Kathy) Shutts of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, Anjela (Peter Kitundu) Shutts of Des Moines, Iowa, and Amanda (Kory) Robison of Malcom, Iowa; 6 grandchildren, Daniel and Chelsi Shutts, Mary and Lilly Kitundu, and Paige and Kallie Robison; his brothers, Michael (Cathy) Shutts of Grinnell and Rick (Kim) Shutts of Searsboro, Iowa; his sister, Patricia Shutts of Des Moines, Iowa; and several nieces and nephews. Doug was preceded in death by his parents; and his sister, Diana Shutts.