Lonnie Bruce "Lon" Eberhart

Lonnie "Lon" Bruce Eberhart (88), longtime Dubuque resident and John Deere engineer, passed away on February 5, 2026 after a brief illness.

Friends and family may visit from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 13, 2026, at Leonard Funeral Home & Crematory, 2595 Rockdale Road.

Lonnie was born in 1937 to Ted and Bernice (Allen) Eberhart on a farm outside Burlington, Colorado, near the Kansas-Colorado border. Two years later, Lon's parents welcomed his sister, Connie (Spencer), whose loving pestering kept him laughing, honest, and humble throughout his life. While working on the family farm, Lonnie excelled both academically and athletically and chose an academic scholarship to the University of Colorado over competing football scholarship offers. Through more hard work, Lonnie completed a mechanical engineering degree in four years while washing dishes at a sorority house for extra money. Lonnie's deep Colorado roots explain lifelong devotion to the Denver Broncos football team.

John Deere in Moline, Illinois, hired Lonnie just before college graduation and placed him on a team of engineers designing a new product, the Motor Grader. His work took him to factories around the world, where Lonnie had many adventures and a few misadventures trying to get back home. One day, a pretty girl working in the copy room (Kay Gebhards) invited him to dinner. Kay would often later recall knowing that evening that she would love Lon forever. And she did: Lon and Kay were married in Moline on August 18, 1962.

A few years later, John Deere relocated Lon's engineering design team to Dubuque, Iowa. Lon and Kay settled in a three-bedroom bungalow on a private drive off Southern Avenue and began renovations that would last the rest of Lon's life. They welcomed two sons, Kyle and Lance, who kept them busy with sports, school activities, reckless brother-fighting, and the resulting property destruction. Sadly, in 1984, Lonnie and Kay lost their older son, Kyle, in a hunting accident, a tragic loss causing lifelong heartbreak.

During his time in Dubuque, Lonnie obtained his private pilot's license and became a fixture in the local aviation community. He earned his MBA from University of Iowa. He collected antique firearms and authentic Remington statues of Western cowboys. He made enduring friendships with neighbors, former coworkers, and fellow engineers. And he became the resident expert on John Deere tractors.

In his "retirement," Lonnie continued to work on projects for John Deere, while earning his financial planner/analyst credentials from American Express. Lonnie loved the stock market and later admitted that he liked financial management as much as engineering. He also became a doting "Pappy" to Carly (23) and Sophie (17) Eberhart, helping them catch frogs, bait hooks, learn to drive, and set up stock portfolios. Pappy's example and coaching have guided both granddaughters toward Engineering degrees, with Carly finishing hers in 2024 and Sophie beginning this year.

Lonnie is survived by his beloved wife, Kay; his son Lance and daughter-in-law Merrily (Archer); his sister, Connie Spencer of Alamosa, Colorado; and his beloved granddaughters, Carly and Sophie. Lonnie is preceded in death by his parents, Theodore and Bernice (Allen) Eberhart; his brother-in-law, John (Spencie) Spencer, and his son, Kyle.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to Greg Shuster, Friend and Neighbor; Carole Hughey, Northeast Iowa Agency on Aging, and Cindy Hanson, Elder Caregiver Extraordinaire; Hospice of Dubuque; MercyOne Dubuque; and the staff at Mt.Carmel Bluffs.