George Vest

George W. Vest Jr. passed away on Wednesday February 18th at the age of 98 after a short illness. A family service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers or donations, a memorial gift may be made to the Calkins Nature Center or the Greenbelt Humane Society. Funeral arrangements are under the guidance of the Surls Funeral Home in Iowa Falls.

George was born July 29, 1927, at the Three Oaks Farm house in Webster City, Iowa to the parents of Fama Laurie (Buxton) and George W. Vest (Sr). George's mother, Fama Laurie, passed away from child birth when George was 8 years old. At that time his father was chief supervisor of the Department of Commerce/Aeronautics in Chicago (Civil Aeronautics Board) which resulted in George and his younger sister Genevieve living in several different locations during their childhood from Chicago to Washington D.C. to Miami, Florida and back to various Chicago suburbs. Because of the events of World War II, his father was commissioned as a Colonel in the Army Air Corp. When the housekeeper hired to help raise George and his sister died in a car accident, the two children returned to Webster City, Iowa to finish school while living with the Buxton family members. George graduated from Lincoln High School there in 1945. That summer he enlisted into the Navy as the War was still active. However, the day he was to be transported from Des Moines to boot camp via railroad, the Japanese surrendered. He spent the next 13 months of his service in Great Lakes, Illinois assigned to the Officer Separation Center. After his discharge from the Navy, he spent a short time at the University of Iowa to study journalism, joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity and attained a private pilot license. Later he returned to Webster City to graduate from Webster City Junior College (now Iowa Central) in 1949. While in Webster City he fell in love with Ardeth Woodall (his future wife) to whom he was attracted to from earlier swimming pools days. The two eloped on February 24, 1949, while Ardeth was still in high school (much to the chagrin of school officials). They were married for 67 years until Ardeth's passing in 2016, and had three children, Robert, Vicki, and Richard. During that time in Webster City in the 1950's George worked at the Daily Freeman Journal and the Aberdeen Angus Journal as writer and photographer. He also worked as sports broadcaster at the town radio station KJFJ. In 1962 the family moved to Iowa Falls where George was part of starting the new radio station KIFG. Later he worked for Weaver Construction as their corporate pilot flying their twin engine Beechcraft Baron. Then starting around 1971 George spent the next 3 5 years working for Clapsaddle-Garber Engineering located in Marshalltown, Iowa as the information director. While in Iowa Falls, he served on the City Council for two terms, Mayor for two terms, as well as Planning and Zoning, the Library Board, Hardin County Conservation Board, and the Calkins Nature Center Board. He always said

"Iowa Falls is a pretty good place to live" and enjoyed his photography and writing his weekly column Vest Pocket Views.