John Demmer

John Joseph Demmer, age 72, of Cedar Falls, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, September 6, 2025, at Unity Point Allen Hospital in Waterloo. John was born June 19, 1953, in Dubuque, Iowa, the son of Elmer “Red” and Rita (Bakey) Demmer. He graduated from Western Dubuque High School in the class of 1971. He attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1975. On September 23, 1978, John was united in marriage to Jane Noonan at St. Patrick Garryowen Catholic Church in Bernard, Iowa. Together, John and Jane made their home in Cedar Falls, and raised their two children, Molly and Matthew. John spent his career as a mechanical engineer at John Deere in Waterloo, retiring in 2013. He was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers. John was an avid Iowa Hawkeye football fan and had season tickets for almost 20 years. Tailgating Saturdays with family and friends created many lasting memories. Recently, he enjoyed watching Caitlin Clark as both a Hawkeye and Fever player. He enjoyed being involved in sports with his children as both a coach and a referee, and most recently loved watching his grandchildren in their many activities. He liked to get things done, but wanted to remain in the background. He was the project manager for the Parish Center at St. Patrick Church and from the beginning thought an excellent project would be a Lenten fish fry. He cooked fish for 23 years, again in the background. In 1998, John started A World In Motion (AWIM), a STEM educational learning experience at St. Patrick School for 7th and 8th graders. For his work with this program, John received the SAE International Award for outstanding AWIM volunteer in 2005 and the St. Patrick School Outstanding Volunteer in 2010. John is survived by his wife, Jane of Cedar Falls; his daughter, Molly (Daniel) Lahart of Cedar Falls; his son, Matthew (Lindsay) Demmer of Germantown, TN; his three grandchildren, Nora Lahart, Maddie Lahart, and Henry Demmer; his sister, Joanie Demmer of Davenport; his brother and sisters-in-law, Karen (Larry) Bell of Dyersville, Diane (Clay) Gavin of North Liberty, Stephen (Janet) Noonan of Marion, Maureen (Nick) Gaeta of Hiawatha, and Caroline (Michael) Erickson of Elkader and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Red and Rita, and his in-laws, Glynn and Betty Noonan; his nephew, Patrick Bell, and niece, Miya Erickson. The family would like to thank Angie Schreiber and her nurses for the excellent care they gave John over the last few years. Memorial mass will be at 10am Thursday, September 11, 2025, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Cedar Falls. A gathering of friends of family will be from 4-7pm Wednesday, at Richardson Funeral Service in Cedar Falls as well as one hour prior to the service at church. Rosary will be 3:30 Wednesday at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to St. Patrick Catholic Church or St. Patrick Catholic School World in Motion or STEM programs.

John Demmer

June 19, 1953 - September 6, 2025