John Robert Adney

John Robert Adney, age 97, of Miles, Iowa, passed away Friday, November 14, 2008 at Mercy Living Center North, Clinton, Iowa. Funeral Services will be held 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 18, 2008 at the United Presbyterian Church, Miles Iowa with Reverend Bill Warhover & Reverend Karl Goodfellow officiating. Burial will be in Miles Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 3:00-7:00 p.m., Monday, November 17, 2008 at Miller-Law-Jones Funeral Home, Preston, Iowa. A Memorial fund has been established in John’s name. John was born May 5, 1911, the son of John Alvin and Bertha (Russow) Adney in McGregor, Iowa. He attended McGregor Schools, graduating from McGregor High School. On June 4, 1934, John married Edith Genevieve Gohlman in Clinton, Iowa. His dearest Genevieve passed away in 1979. John worked for the Milwaukee Railroad “Marquette Shop”, Marquette, Iowa and the Chicago Northwestern Railroad, “Clinton Shop”, Clinton, Iowa. He spent some years working at the G.A. Gohlman General Store and John L. Franks Lumber and Feed Store, both in Miles, Iowa. John spent years working at the Savanna Ordnance Depot during World War II, as a Munitions Handler and Explosive Operator. He spent ten years working with the University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa to do geological studies of the region. He discovered that the Mississippi River wandered through the Preston, Green Island and Spragueville, Iowa area over 10,000 years ago. John’s interests and talents carried him down many different paths. Of course his true profession and calling in life was a Writer, Historian and Amateur Photographer. He spent hours and hours collecting ideas, thinking deep thoughts and jotting down notes, which filled his articles with wonderful stories, history and photo’s. Folks all over Iowa and Northern Illinois have enjoyed his works for many years. John worked on the History of Jackson County, Iowa and most notably on Railroad History in the area. His works are present in books written by John Tigges. Some of John’s stories are as follows; “Hoboes” “Harvest in McGregor” “Advent of the Auto” “1800s Doctor-Quack or Saint” and “Seventeen Year Cicadas”. He wrote about the infamous, “Al Capone”, “Victorian Era” and “ Political Scandals”. John will be dearly missed by his two sons, John G. (Patricia) Adney of Marion, Iowa and Robert Adney of Clinton, Iowa; Six grandchildren, Mike (Amy) Adney, Marla Adney, Elizabeth Benn, Matt Adney, Chris (Erin Hunt) Adney and Charles (Dawn) Adney; ten great grandchildren, Jenna, Anthony, Connor, Danielle, Greenlee, Charles and Toben Adney, Portia (Daniel) Ahiakpor, Madeliene and Jacob Wasek and one great-great grandson, Aston Ahiakpor.John is preceded in death by his wife, Genevieve; two sisters, Doris Lindeman and Jeanette Beckett; one brother, Raymond and daughter in-law, Ella Adney.