Roger Bower Linn
| Roger Bower Linn | |
|---|---|
| Born |
December 21, 1933 Pierson, Iowa, USA |
| Died |
August 11, 2007 (aged 73) Sioux City Hospital, Sioux City, Iowa |
| Resting place | Good Hope Cemetery, Woodbury County, Iowa |
| Spouse | Roberta Marie Badger (m. 1956–) |
| Children |
David Gene Linn Jan Marie Linn Alan Loyd Linn Ron Lee Linn |
| Parents |
Dwight Russel Linn Lelia Garnet Bower |
The Clan Linn in the Twentieth Century Entry
Roger Bower Linn was born on 21 December 1933 on the family farm near Pierson, Iowa. He attended Iowa State College, graduating with a B.S. degree in 1956, and taught high school science, physics and chemistry for several years. Roger started farming in 1958; primarily crops on the farm north of Correctionville, Iowa were corn, soybeans, and popcorn. Roger and his family were all Republicans and Methodists. Roger served the Republican Party as precinct committeeman, Woodbury County Chairman, and member of the Republican State Central Committee. He married Roberta Marie "Bobbi" Badger on 6 October 1956. Bobbi graduated from Iowa State College with a B.S. degree in experimental cookery, which she put to good use in her farm kitchen.[1]
Obituary
Roger Linn, 73, of Correctionville, a longtime ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) survivor, died of complications from prostate cancer Saturday, Aug. 11, 2007, at a Sioux City hospital.
Services will be held 9 a.m. Wednesday at Barker Funeral Home in Correctionville. Graveside services will be 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Good Hoope Cemetery. Memorial services will be 11 a.m. Wednesday at Grace United Methodist Church in Correctionville, with the Revs., Terry Fetterman and Sheryl K. Ashley officiating.
Roger was born on Dec. 21, 1933, to Dwight and Lelia Linn, on the family farm near Correctionville. He graduated from Pierson (Iowa) High School in 1952.
While attending Iowa State College, he met his future wife, Roberta "Bobbi" Badger. They were married Oct. 6, 1956. He taught high school science in Pleasantville and Lake Park, Iowa, before returning to farm near his parents. He taught full-time in Anthon, Iowa, for several years and also substituted in other area schools.
He was a rock hound. He read about and studied geographical formations around the country and took his family on many camping trips "out west," where they found petrified wood and other rough gemstones. He especially loved the Lake Superior region and eventually purchased a small cabin in Finland, Minn., so he always had a place to stay while rock hunting during the summer. In the fall, farm life got busier with the harvest, but the family always found a weekend to press homemade apple cider and preserve the garden produce he planted in the spring.
Many Siouxland families have purchased Christmas trees at Linn Nursery planted by him and his children. He also employed high school students to help dig and move evergreen trees to local windbreaks and home landscapes.
He had been a well known name in Republican politics for many years. He chaired the Woodbury County Republican Party from 1986 to 1996. He served on the Iowa State Republican Central Committee from 1986 to 1992. He also chaired the platform committee for several years at district conventions. He was a consultant advisor to those running for offices at the state and national level.
He and his family spent more than 10 years researching and writing "The Clan Linn in the Twentieth Century," a family history book detailing the 1788 immigration of Hugh Linn from County Down, Ireland, to Pennsylvania. The book, published in 1991, chronicles the westward movement of the Linn descendants and includes anecdotes from many branches of the family tree.
Most importantly, Grandpa Roger doted on his grandchildren. They worked together on projects from 4-H to bin building. He taught the next generation things they couldn't learn in school. Grandpa always expected hard work and dedication.
Survivors include his wife, Bobbi; his sons, David, Phred and his wife, Jayne, and Ron, all of Correctionville; a daughter and her husband, Jan and Dr. Tim Swinton of Marshalltown, Iowa; grandchildren, Anna, Sara, Ben, Zoe and Isaac Linn and Nathan and his wife, Sarah, Sam, Aaron, and Hannah Swinton; an honorary son, Garry Fowler and his wife, JoAnn and their daughter, Katie of Olathe, Kan.; two brothers and their wives, Joe and Wanda and Roy and Linda, all of Correctionville; four nieces; a nephew; and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dwight and Lelia Linn of Correctionville.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to the Muscular Dystrophy Association for ALS research or the Correctionville Church of Christ building fund.
Notes
- ↑ The Clan Linn in the Twentieth Century, p. 556-57 (Roger Linn, 1993)