John "Jack" Shumaker

John "Jack" Frederick Shumaker passed away peacefully at his home on Thursday, March 5, 2009, from natural causes. He was 77 years old. Jack was born in Seattle, Washington, March 26, 1931, along with his twin brother Jerry, to Hugh W. and Helen A. (Chavey) Shumaker. Jack enlisted in the Air Force December 20, 1950. All three brothers served together in Japan and Korea during the Korean War. He returned to Mt. Pleasant in June, 1955, and worked as a draftsman at Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids until 1957. On June 16, 1957, Jack married Janet Berkshire in Mt. Pleasant. He began working as a products engineer for J. I. Case in Burlington in 1958. He progressed to Design Engineer and continued with Case for 31 years, retiring in 1989. During this tenure, he also worked in the Advance Research and Development Department for nine years. He holds 21 U.S. patents for Case and was a Case Master Inventor International. John invented and designed, along with several colleagues, the 580K Loader Backhoe for the construction industry which is used worldwide. He took great pride in his work, always striving for perfection. He had a very inventive mind and spent a lot of time designing and working on his ideas and projects. He never lost his passion for airplanes and flying and frequently visited the airport to watch the planes take off and landings, especially during Old Threshers when the antique planes would fly in to refuel. John is survived by his wife of 52 years, Janet; one son Judd (Cindy) Shumaker of Mt. Pleasant, IA; two daughters, Lisa (Rod) Paetsch of Lebanon, Oregon, and Leslie Kahler of Altoona, IA; his twin brother Jerry Shumaker of Honolulu, HA, and his brother Jim (JoAnn) Shumaker of Cedar Rapids, IA. Also surviving are six grandchildren and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his parents. As a man of peace, so may he rest. Private family services will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established to Henry County Health Center EMT's and the Henry County Health Center Foundation. Memorials may be sent to the Shumaker Memorial, % Olson-Powell Memorial Chapel, P.O. Box 656, Mt. Pleasant, IA 52641.