John Oldenkamp

John Oldenkamp, 88, of Marshalltown, died Monday, October 22, 2012, at his residence while under the care of his loving family and Iowa River Hospice. A celebration of Johns life will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, October 27, 2012, at the First Congregational Church, 312 W. Main St., Marshalltown. Visitation for John will be held from 12:30 p.m., until time of services on Saturday at the church. A private family burial will take place at a later date. Memorial contributions may be directed in Johns name to Iowa River Hospice or the First Congregational Church Scholarship Fund. John Adrian Oldenkamp was born September 19, 1924 in Orange City, Iowa. He was the son of Gerrit William and Jessie (VerMaas) Oldenkamp. John served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, earning three Bronze Stars.John earned his Bachelors degree as well as his Masters degree in Industrial Technology from Bradley University. Later, he attended the University of Northern Iowa to receive his Ed.S. in Industrial Technology Administration. John married Doris Alicia Farnsworth on December 24, 1945 in Sibley, Iowa. John was a very loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. His favorite things in life were his family, teaching wood-working, the lake, making fine furniture, fishing and gardening. John taught at Marshalltown High School from 1966 until his retirement in 1988. One of his former students said in a note to the family: ``God must have a project he just cant do without the old Teachers help. John was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, a lifetime member of National Education Association, and was a member of the First Congregational Church.He is survived by his wife: Doris Oldenkamp; his children: Cynthia Oldenkamp, Judith (Gary) Sawyer, foster son Mohsen (Ria) Ghorbati; Grandchildren: Jay (Shawna) Cone, Michael (Ellyce) Cone, Jacob Sawyer, Monica (Michael) Hoff, Kyle Sawyer, John Ghorbati, Araizu Ghorbati, Kaveh Ghorbati; Great-Grandchildren: Nicholas Cone, Erika Cone, Garret Cone, Emaleigh Cone, Victoria Cone, Ian Hoff and Ainsley Hoff.He is preceded in death by a son, John (Jack) Oldenkamp Jr.; his parents, Gerrit and Jessie Oldenkamp; one brother, William Oldenkamp; and one sister Adrianna Sampson.Memorials may be directed to Iowa River Hospice and First Congregational Scholarship Fund.