Stanley Kerr

Stanley M. Kerr, 65, of New London, IA, died Tuesday, December 22, 2010, at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics of a massive brain hemorrhage following a severe stroke. Visitation will be from 12 noon until 7:00 p.m., on Sunday, December, 26th, at the Olson - Powell Memorial Chapel of Mt. Pleasant where the family will greet friends from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. that afternoon. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, December 27th, at the First United Methodist Church with Pastor Herb Shafer officiating. Burial will be in Forest Home Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established for American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association. Stanley Merrill was born on December 21, 1945. A long time resident of the area, he was the son of John Merrill and Beulah Carper Kerr. A graduate of Mt. Pleasant High School in 1963, Stan was a team captain of the mythical 1963 undefeated, untied and unscored upon Southeast 6 state championship football team. At the conclusion of that dream season, he was honored as the Most Valuable Player. A first marriage, to Susan Gibson, ended in divorce. On October 12, 1985, he married Linda Remick. This past year they celebrated 25 years of marriage. Mr. Kerr worked for many years as a photographer at the Mt. Pleasant News where he chronicled life in Mt. Pleasant in the 1970's and 1980's. Most recently he retired from the Mt. Pleasant Community School District where he worked in both food service and grounds maintenance. Sunday afternoons would find Stan camped in front of the TV set, watching a NASCAR race and cheering on Jeff Gordon. Often his grandsons, William and James Kinney joined him. Stan loved to garden and coaxed a productive bounty of tomatoes and green beans each summer from the backyard plot. He was a friend of wildlife, faithfully providing a daily meal to all species of birds and cats that flocked to his rural homestead. Survivors include his wife, Linda, of New London and one daughter, Paula and her husband Greg Kinney, along with their two children, William Robert and James Stanley Kinney, all of Mt. Pleasant. He is also survived by a sister, Waunita Gibbons of Missouri City, TX and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Mr. Kerr was preceded in death by his parents and grandparents.