Samuel Jon Jennison (1955 – 2023)
Sam passed away on December 4, 2023, at MercyOne Medical Center in Mason City, Iowa, surrounded by his loved ones.
Sam was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minnesota, on December 13, 1955, to Laura (Sternberg) and Charles Jennison. Sam spent most of his youth in Rochester with his three siblings. The family would later move to Riceville, Iowa, during his high school years where he graduated in 1974.
Sam was united in marriage on May 15, 1976, to Denise Shonk. Together they raised their three daughters on their acreage north of Riceville where Sam and his mother Laura worked as dairy farmers for over 30 years. Sam enjoyed traveling with the family and seeing many destinations all throughout Iowa. The couple also enjoyed taking cruises to Mexico and the Bahamas.
On February 6, 2004, Sam was united in marriage to Beverly Jennison (Leuenberger), welcoming two adult sons into the family. Together they cherished seven grandchildren. The couple enjoyed spending time with family and friends, reading books, and spending time outdoors with one another.
In addition to dairy farming duties, Sam was also employed at McNeilus where he was a welder for 32 years. Sam retired in June 2023.
During his free time, Sam could be found biking the Wapsi trails and chopping wood in the timber out on the family farm. He loved nature and cared deeply for animals. Sam’s favorite pastime was reading, especially science fiction. His home library was very diverse containing authors from J.K. Rowling to Stephen King to James Patterson. During his retirement, Sam and his fiancée Cathy enjoyed gardening and reading about different kinds of herbs that could be grown locally.
Sam will always be remembered for his compassion and kindness toward others. He was hard-working all his life and always put his family first as a father and grandfather.
Sam is preceded in death by his wife Bev, parents, sister Laura “Laurie” Jennison, and brother-in-law Tom Selvig.
He is survived by his children Mishell (Jake) Knoess of Shasta Lake, California, Samantha (Ryan) Reinke of Iowa Falls, Iowa, Melissa (Matthew) Huegel of Alta Vista, Iowa, Uriah Kreb of Hot Springs, Arkansas, Quince Kreb (Alondra) of St. Ansgar, Iowa; grandchildren Dylan (Marcy), Gage (Vanessa), Tyson, Paige, Harrison, Ellea, and Alicia; siblings Ellen Selvig and Lloyd Jennison (Kim); and companion Cathy Simon.
A private family memorial will be held on a later date.
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