James A. Erb, 80, of Charles City, passed away Friday, November 5, 2021.
A funeral Mass for Jim Erb will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, November 12 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City with Father Tom Heathershaw officiating. Inurnment will be at a later date at St. Mary Catholic Cemetery in Roseville. A luncheon at the Columbus Club in Charles City will immediately follow the funeral Mass.
Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, November 11, 2021 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 106 Chapel Ln. in Charles City. Visitation will continue one hour prior to Mass on Friday.
James Andrew Erb was born December 7, 1940 in Rockford, Iowa, the son of Paul and Rose (Jandl) Erb. Raised on the family farm in Rockford, Jim attended Ulster #8 one-room school until eighth grade, then continued his education at Charles City High School and was the 1959 valedictorian. He attended the University of Iowa graduating in 1963 with highest distinction with a BA in political science. Jim continued his studies at Yale Law School and received a J.D. in 1966. He enlisted in the Air Force and served from 1966 to 1971 in Air Force Intelligence and the Judge Advocate General Corp, obtaining the rank of Captain.
On August 16, 1969, Jim was united in marriage to Mary Ann Ackermann in Trier, Germany, while stationed overseas. They had three children – Elizabeth, Paul and Joseph. They were married for 39 years until Mary Ann’s passing in 2009. After leaving military service, Jim and Mary Ann moved to Charles City and Jim joined the Frye & McCartney law firm in 1972, where he continued as a partner until his death. Jim served one term as Floyd County Attorney in 1973. Jim later met Cheryl Erb and they were married on December 30, 2011 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charles City.
Democratic politics were important to Jim and he made two unsuccessful runs for state legislature in 1990 and 1994 before successfully running for Mayor. Jim served as Mayor of Charles City for 22 years from 1996 – 2017 and was involved in many projects during his tenure, including construction of the first whitewater course in Iowa, recovery efforts after flooding events and the establishment of TIF districts for the community. Jim became Mayor shortly after the Oliver/White Farm Tractor Factory had permanently closed and helped set the course for the community to recover and eventually thrive economically. Jim also served on the Iowa League of Cities Executive Board from 2013 – 2017, serving as Board President from 2016 -2017.
Throughout his legal and political careers Jim was well known for being a gentleman and for his talents in mediation and bringing groups together. Jim used his skills to serve numerous county and state Bar Association committees, civic and non-profit committees, and governmental boards as member, chairman, and director. Jim was focused on creating or working through regional and joint entities to solve a number of issues he was passionate about including watershed management and economic development. Jim continued to be heavily engaged in causes until his death and was involved in the recent efforts that resulted in Charles City being recognized as an AARP Livable Community in 2021.
Although too various to name all the organizations Jim served, they included: North Iowa Area Council of Governments (chairman 2011-12 and 2020-21), North Iowa Community Action Organization, Charles City Area Economic Development, North Iowa Seed Capital Fund, Community Vitality Center Advisory Board for Iowa State University Extension, Iowans for a Better Future, Cedar River Watershed Coalition, NIACC Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center Advisory Board, Floyd County Community Foundation and Charles City Family YMCA Foundation.
Always active in the community, Jim was a member of a number of community organizations including Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Knights of Columbus, Elks, Kiwanis, Charles City Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors, American Legion and VFW.
Due to his continued dedication and efforts, Jim has been honored with numerous awards over the years, including being inducted into the Charles City Excellence in Education Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 2013, Charles City Man of the Year in 2015, named to the Iowa League of Cities Hall of Fame in 2019 and received the Iowa Rural Hero Award by the Iowa Rural Development Council in 2021.
Jim will be remembered and missed by many for his passion and commitment to the community, but for Jim’s family and close friends he will be remembered for his endless support, compassion, unique sense of humor and love of his family, especially his grandchildren. Jim loved to socialize and thoroughly enjoyed his gourmet dinner group and had a love for travel that began at a young age when his parents took him to Germany for 3 weeks to visit family. This love only grew throughout life, and he especially enjoyed Rhoades Scholars trips in recent years. Jim thoroughly enjoyed sports in a way that was unique to his style of bringing people together, supporting all Iowa teams.
Living family members include his wife Cheryl Erb, of Charles City; two children: Liz Erb Firmstone of Iowa City and Paul (Michele) Erb of Exton, Pa.; 3 stepchildren: Lisa (Scott) Soifer of Charles City, Brad (Kate) Jahnel of Gladstone, Mo. and Monica (Matthew) Harris of Milford, Mi.; 7 grandchildren: Lucas, Maxwell and Charles Firmstone, Vivian, Ross and Theodore Soifer and William Harris.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his infant brother, Paul James Erb Jr.; his first wife, Mary Ann; and his son, Joe Erb in 2019.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Charles City YMCA Foundation or TLC “The Learning Center” in Charles City in honor of Jim.
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