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Obituary For John Nelson Gatz
John Nelson Gatz, 79, passed February 18, 2025, in Fargo, North Dakota. He was born on December 7, 1945, to Nelson and Clara Gatz.
A funeral service will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, February 28, 2025, at Memorial Services of Iowa (4208 N. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny, Iowa). Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at 11:00 a.m., also at the funeral home. He will be laid to rest at Ankeny Memorial Gardens. The funeral service will be livestreamed at https://vimeo.com/event/4948393
John was born and raised in Moline, Illinois. He participated in Boy Scouts during his childhood. In high school, he was involved in baseball and wrestling.
John served in the Air Force from May 1967 to May 1971. He took pride in his role as a Sergeant, supervising data processing machine operations. Additionally, he enjoyed playing baseball during their leisure time at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.
He married Linda Kollars on December 9, 1994, sharing 29 years together until her passing in 2024.
John was a dedicated man and father who loved gardening and the outdoors. He had vegetable gardens or flowers at every home, including his time at the veterans' home in Lisbon, North Dakota. He could teach about flowers and vegetables with ease. A loyal Chicago Bears fan through the good and the bad, he also followed the Chicago White Sox, Boston Celtics, and supported Iowa and Illinois college teams. John enjoyed playing golf, curling, and bowling, often sharing tips with his grandkids.
John is survived by his brother Steve (Dianne) Gatz, sister Kathy (Gary) Hoegner; children Kris (Ray) Kling, Amy (Kurt) Laud, Steve (Laura) Sands, Stephanie Abshire, Carly (John) Wollschlager, Kelsey (Erika) Gatz, and Colin (Robyn) Gatz; grandchildren Jenna, Spencer, Cody, Mason (Alyssa), Lacey, Brandi (Luke), Brittanie, Bethanie, Austin (Lexie), Deklan, Vance, Jamesen, Camden, Crosby and Teagan; great grandchildren Alec, Archer, Alex and Isabella.
He was preceded in death by his parents Nelson and Clara Gatz; sister Christine Gatz, wife Linda Gatz, and son-in-law Shane Abshire.
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Marcia Erickson planted 7 trees in memory of John Nelson Gatz . - March 01, 2025
Kathleen Hoegner sent Radiant Foliage Planter for John Nelson Gatz - February 24, 2025
Stephanie sent Red and White Handled Basket for John Nelson Gatz - February 23, 2025
Sending our prayers and thoughts to Carly, Kelsey, and Colin (and families) as you mourn the passing of your father. With our deepest sympathy, Donna and Paul Melicher
