John Head

John Head, 77, of Essex, IA passed Sunday, September 20, 2026 at the Accura Healthcare of Stanton. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. at the Loess Hills Funeral Home in Glenwood with Pastor Susan Reed officiating. Visitation for the family to greet friends will be held prior to the funeral at the church beginning at 10:00 a.m. Burial will be at the Mt. Calvary Cemetery in Imogene, IA. Loess Hills Funeral Home in Glenwood is caring for John and his family.

Memorials: Directed to the family.

John was born May 31, 1949, to Martin and Vivian (Stooker) Head. He grew up on the family farm northwest of Essex and graduated from Shenandoah High School with the Class of 1967.
In 1982, John married Kimberly Wederquist, and together they welcomed two daughters, Sarah and Emily. Although their marriage did not last, John and Kimberly remained friends, maintained a mutual respect for one another, and always put their love for their girls first.
A lifelong farmer, John cared for the family farm and made his home there until August 2021, when he moved to Stanton, Iowa. Alongside farming, he worked for many years as a craftsman building custom windows at Pella Corporation in Shenandoah, Iowa, and finished his working years at AgriVision in Macedonia, Iowa.
John worked hard but always made time for his daughters. During the girls’ younger years the girls have vivid memories of the many trips he took them on to Valentino’s for pizza and then to a movie at the theater in Nebraska City. He was immensely proud of Sarah and Emily for earning their college degrees and loved “talking shop” with them about their careers. John enjoyed cooking for his family and was especially good at making cheesecake from scratch. He was also a devoted son to his father, caring for the farm and bringing him home-cooked meals as he grew older.
John’s faith was a very important part of his life, and he loved reading the Bible. One characteristic John carried throughout his life was a love of learning, whether about people, places, or new topics. John loved visiting the Clay County Fair in Spencer, Iowa, and often came home with a unique gift for someone. He enjoyed meeting people and learning about their lives. His nurses remembered him as a talker who took an interest in where they were from and what they enjoyed, sometimes researching a subject they had mentioned so he could learn more about it.
John was “Grandpa John” to his five grandchildren: Brooks, Hank, Elin, Connor, and Reese. They knew of his love for John Deere through the many gifts he gave them, including a Gator, a train set, and toy tractors. Although he could not always be an active participant in their lives, he loved receiving their pictures and videos and always asked how they were doing. He proudly displayed their artwork throughout his room.
John was preceded in death by his parents, Martin and Vivian Head. He is survived by his daughters, Sarah (Lee) Kramolisch of Omaha and their children, Brooks and Hank, and Emily (Nick) Milewski of Omaha and their children, Elin, Connor, and Reese; his siblings, Robert “Bob” Head of Omaha, Vivian Wanetka of Omaha, James “Jim” (Mary) Head of Des Moines, Iowa, and Martie Rose of Peabody, Massachusetts; and other relatives and friends