Jon Neal Wallace, 70, died June 17, 2026, at the Klein Center in Burlington after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease and CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia).
Born the 6th child and final son of William Parker Wallace and Jean Arlene Long on September 9th, 1955, Jon didn’t get to have the kid brother experience until his nephew Dan was born. While Jon loved all his nieces and great-nieces and nephews and great-nephews, he had a special bond with his nephews Dan, Trevor, Ben, and Tony since they were young. Jon was their babysitter, their confidant, their pizza and movie theater buddy. He loved the experience of going to the theater and would go with anyone to see any film. (Even 2+ hour movies that were the second in the series that he’d never seen because it was what his great-nephew wanted to see.)
Movies weren’t the only art form Jon was interested in. Inspired by art classes at Burlington High School, he moved to California to study art at the San Francisco Art Institute before returning to Burlington. His lifelong love of painting led him to Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he earned a Master’s in Art. His thesis, entitled “Light from Design”, was about his design principle that intertwines light and sacred geometry. This concept permeated every piece of his subsequent artwork. Critics stated that Jon’s neo-contemporary artwork “gave a glimpse of where the boundaries of reality and imagination blur.”
His paintings are bright, surrealist canvases filled with color and symbolic environmental meaning. He was inspired by the work of Salvador Dali, but his style was uniquely his own. There is no mistaking a Jon Neal Wallace piece.
Jon’s paintings have been in group and solo shows nationally and internationally. Most notable shows were Brave Destiny, Brooklyn, NY; Water Exhibition, Lauderdale House, London, England; Inner Eye traveling show with exhibitions in Italy, Spain, Germany, and Austria; Sapere Gallery, Chicago, IL; Gruyères, Switzerland; Art Next Gallery, New York, NY; and local neo-surrealist shows.
His artwork has been exhibited in AdT Gallery, San Francisco, CA; Art Next Gallery, Chelsea, NY; I AM Group, Inc, Clearwater/St. Petersburg, FL. One of Jon’s paintings, Ai Weiwei and the T Bathers, was even shown in digital format by SEE ME at the Louvre Museum, Paris, France.
He believed every life was a story. Maybe that's why he was so interested in family history. He found his ancestors, William Wallace of Scotland and W.H.L Wallace, a Civil War general, particularly fascinating.
After receiving his MFA in Fine Arts Creative Writing from Goddard College, he went on to write a historical fiction novel, Ragman’s Roll, about Union General Wallace and his heroic contributions during the Civil War.
He loved to discuss the arts with anyone who would listen, whether it was his 12-year-old niece, his fellow students throughout his years of art education or the CNAs who took care of him in his final days. He encouraged creativity in others his entire life.
Jon lived and breathed his art. Driving around Burlington, you might see him out riding his bike or walking. You couldn’t miss his shaggy bowl cut, reminiscent of a young Luke Skywalker, and his trademark army green tank and baggy gym shorts, both often covered in paint splatter from his latest work.
He loved nature and spent a great deal of time in it. If he could bike somewhere, he would. Later, when he couldn't bike, he would walk. He particularly loved Crapo Park. He was a fan of the Iowa Hawkeyes, adored cats, and was a member of Divine Mercy Catholic Parish. He worked for many years at Chittenden and Eastman House. He was also a kind, generous, and stubborn man with a sense of humor who could be a bit of a flirt, and he remained that way even throughout his illness.
Jon was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Michael, his niece Amber and his beloved cats Salvadore, Jonathan and Missy. He is survived by siblings James (Christine) Wallace, David (Evelyn) Wallace, Anita Ann Whorton, Janice (Bob) White, Judy McNeece, and Mary Renee Wallace, several cousins, nieces and nephews, great nieces and great nephews and his two cats Junior and Tig.
Obituaries tell you the facts of a person’s life. Though a few short paragraphs cannot do justice to his life, we hope by reading this we’ve painted a picture with our words about who Jon was.
This was the story of Jon Neal Wallace: artist, author, devoted cat dad, beloved son, brother and uncle.
The Memorial Mass for Jon will be held at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, July 2, 2026, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church of Divine Mercy Parish with Father Jacob Greiner as celebrant. A private family burial will be held in Sacred Heart Cemetery.
A celebration of Jon's Life will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, July 2, 2026, at The Washington, downtown Burlington.
A memorial has been established in his memory for Des Moines County Humane Society.