Herbert C. Standing

Herbert Clair Standing, 86, of Earlham passed away May 2, 2012 at Mercy Hospice in Johnston. He was born at home in Dallas County, Iowa near Dexter on March 6th, 1926. He was the oldest child of Bernard Standing and Mildred Mendenhall Standing. He was preceded in death by his brothers Leland and Alan, and by his sister, Elsie Kuhn. He is survived by a brother, John of San Francisco, CA, a nephew, Rufus Kuhn (married to Kathy) of Iowa City, a niece Jennifer Sotelo (married to Tony) of Atalissa, IA, a great nephew Keegan Sotelo and many other relatives. Herbert grew up on farms near Dexter where he enjoyed gardening and was a member of the Dallas County 4H club. Herbert attended country school as a child and graduated from Earlham High School with his cousins. He was a very serious student when it came to school. There was a mutual competition between Herbert and his cousins as they were all "A" students. There was something different about Herbert from the beginning. He wasn't drawn to play with the rest of them, but was always pondering something, and would rather sit with the adults and listen. He attended Drake University, Havorford College and William Penn University and completed Master's degrees in several areas including library science. He later worked as a librarian at Havorford College. Herbert was best known as a meticulous genealogist, a devoted Quaker and a knowledgeable Quaker historian. He was a member of the Bear Creek Conservative Meeting of Friends (Quaker) where he served as clerk for many years and served on a number of committees. He always seemed to be spiritually in touch. The whole Iowa Yearly Meeting looked to his Spiritual base. He has been responsible for breaking meeting at Bear Creek since he took over after his father Bernard's death. He was sent to prison for 6 months during WWII due to his conscientious objection to the war. For decades Herbert volunteered his time as secretary of the Earlham Historical Society where he often served as host at the Hockett House for special events. He also belonged to a number of genealogical societies where he had a reputation for helping others research their family trees. Herbert was a thoughtful and generous man. He will be heartily missed. The family will have a gathering on Saturday May, 19 at 10 AM at the Bear Creek Conservative Friends Meeting House (18058 Bear Creek Road) just west of Herbert's house in rural Earlham. Bear Creek Friends Meeting is located one mile N of the I-80 Eartlham exit 104. From the exit, follow the road North and it curves to the West(left) for a short distance. At the "Y" in the road, Take "I " Avenue North (to the right) about one mile to Bear Creek Road, and turn right. The Bear Creek Meeting House is the second driveway on the right. Online Condolences may be left at www.johnsonfamilyfuneralhome.com.