Garold 'Gary' Lee McMeins Jr.

GAROLD "GARY" LEE MCMEINS JR.

Newton

Garold "Gary" Lee McMeins Jr., formally of Newton, died unexpectedly in Des Moines, Iowa on February 14th, 2021 at the age of 67 after fighting complications from COVID-19.

Gary was born on February 25th, 1953 in Highland Park, Illinois, a son to Garold and Regina (Carani) McMeins. At the age of 4, he moved in with Earl and Shirley Wolgemuth (McMeins) on their farm outside of Trenton, Iowa. He was a graduate of Mount Pleasant Community High School in 1972 and worked on the assembly line at Blue Bird Corporation for seven years. In 1975 he married Ruth Ann Phillips and they raised two children. After marriage, he enjoyed a part-time job at the Shell station in Olds, before starting his 30-year career with the State of Iowa, first briefly working at the Fort Madison Correctional Facility before moving to the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility. He later married Delores Hoover in 1998 and retired from the State of Iowa in December of 2008.

Outside of work, he enjoyed volunteering at the Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Association, first in security, then with the radio club, and later with the electric railway where he was a motorman. He was always passionate about Old Threshers and volunteering during the Old Threshers Reunion. He took part in various projects, including helping make the seats for the passenger coaches, still used by the Midwest Central Railroad. His love for radio equipment spanned his whole adult life as an Amateur Radio operator. He loved to travel in his camper and lived in Missouri, Arkansas and Texas before moving back to Iowa, where he was a member of the Newton Moose Lodge Club 923 and the Newton Amateur Radio Club. He had a strong commitment for researching and understanding the McMeins' family history and enjoyed attending the annual family gatherings.

Gary is survived by his daughter Mandi and grandson Caleb of Mount Pleasant, his son Philip, and wife Stacy, and grandsons Eli and Leo of Johnston, his two brothers Michael McMeins of East Dundee, Illinois, and David McMeins of Seattle, Washington, and two half-brothers, Daniel VanVorous of Round Lake, Illinois, and Dale VanVorous of California along with various aunts, uncles and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents Garold and Regina, Earl and Shirley Wolgemuth, his sister Linda, and two half-brothers Christopher and Joseph.

A private family burial and a celebration of life with family will be held at a later date.

In-lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorial donations be made in Gary's honor to the Old Threshers Foundation in Mount Pleasant, Iowa.