Jack LaVerne Zugg's Obituary
Jack LaVerne Zugg, 85, of rural Moulton, Iowa, was called to meet his Lord and Savior on Saturday, July 29, 2023, at MercyOne Hospital in Centerville, Iowa.
Jack was born October 25, 1937, in Bloomfield, Iowa. He was raised by his mother Lois (Rullman) and dad, Ethridge Speer. As a teenager, Jack accepted the Lord as his Savior and served him faithfully until the day he died. He graduated from Bloomfield High School in 1957. On November 29, 1959, he married his best friend and love of his life, Erma Jean Jacobs, at Grace Tabernacle Baptist Church in Centerville, Iowa, and together they enjoyed 63 years. To this union they welcomed one daughter, Jackie, and twin sons, Stanley and Steven.
Jack was a journeyman meat cutter, beginning his career at the Bloomfield Locker. In the 1960's, he cut meat at A&P Food Stores in Ottumwa, then Dahl's Food in Des Moines, before realizing his lifelong dream of owning and operating his own meat locker, Z Meats & Farmer's Processing, in Centerville, opening in 1992 and remaining active in the business until 2022. Jack was also a dairy farmer and milked cows at the family farm west of Moulton, Iowa from 1973 until 1992, and then continued raising cattle until 2001.
In his youth, Jack enjoyed all sports - including ice skating, roller skating, and pulling pranks. In his later years, he enjoyed fishing on his pond, gardening, going for Sunday drives (not necessarily on Sunday), boating, camping, wintering in Texas, watching the Iowa Hawkeyes, and spending time with his family, which included going to his granddaughter's high school and college sporting events, playing UNO, and telling endless stories of his childhood at Sunday family dinners and around the meat cutting tables.
Jack is survived by his wife, Erma Jean Zugg; daughter Jackie Zugg; son Steven Zugg; daughter in-love Deborah Zugg, all of Moulton, IA; four granddaughters, Virginia (Matthew) Deutmeyer of Cedar Rapids, IA, Stephanie (Michael) Gale of Minnetonka, MN, Michelle Zugg of Phoenix, AZ, and Jessica (Ryan) May of Albia, IA; eight great-grandchildren, Jack, Samuel and Lillian Deutmeyer, Isaac, Elijah and Gia Gale, and Benjamin and Ethan May; sisters Beverly Stober of Springfield, MO and Linda (Darrell) Rysdam of Bloomfield, IA; and many nieces, nephews, and other loving family and friends.
He was proceeded in death by parents, Lois and Ethridge Speer and Cecil Zugg; son, Stanley Zugg; siblings, Jerry Speer, Jim Speer, & Patrick Zugg; father and mother in-law Glen and Erma (Smith) Jacobs; brother and sister in-laws, Gene Stober, Sharon (Lee) Speer, Donald Jacobs, Charles and Mary (Jacobs) Shivley, and Nancy (Jacobs) McCoy.
Visitation for Jack will be held at Thomas Funeral Home in Centerville on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, with family present from 5-7 pm. Funeral services will be held at Thomas Funeral Home on Wednesday, August 2, 2023, at 10 am, with graveside services to follow at Sunset View Cemetery in Moulton. Memorials may be directed to Centerville Fire and Rescue or Moulton First Responders. Condolences may be shared online at www.thomasfh.com or on our funeral home Facebook page, www.facebook.com/thomasfuneralhome.
To view the livestream of the services for Jack, please visit: https://my.gather.app/remember/jack-zugg
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