Mr. James L."Jim" Garnjobst, 87, of Burlington, died on Monday, Oct. 28, 2024 at his home. Born April 12, 1937, In Yankton, S. D., he was the son Jerome Geoffrey and Marjorie Kathryn Jordan Garnjobst. The family moved to Burlington, when Jim was a month old.
Jim attended Burlington schools and graduated from BHS in 1955. When he was 17, he and five or six friends lied about their ages and volunteered for duty with the Forest Service in Wyoming, and returned the next summer for another “tour of duty.” In 1959, resisting advice to settle down and go to college, Jim and a couple buddies drove the long way to California, found jobs selling shoes and lived in a house on Newport Beach. They went to Sunday concerts by Stan Kenton and his band at Orange County Junior Colleges by borrowing student IDs from students in the closest bar.
By 1961 the Draft Board tracked him down and he returned to Burlington to enlist in the Iowa National Guard. He spent more than a few Springs on flood duty and enrolled in the Iowa Military Academy to become an officer. He later served as Commandant of IMA. He stayed in the National Guard for 24 Years, retiring as a Brigadier General.
He started his career at Mason & Hangar in 1962 as an Inspector, worked up through the ranks, and was named Plant Manager in 1995. In 2000 he was promoted to Vice-President of Marketing for Mason & Hangar.
He married Virginia M. Martin on Oct. 5, 1963, in Burlington. They were married for 62 years. Jim was on the Riverfront Advisory Committee in the early days of debating/discussing saving the Port of Burlington building, and advised entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in S.C.O.R.E. until the office was closed by the Small Business Administration. He was a long-time member of Kiwanis, coordinating the Nurses Program for over 13 years, and of Carthage Lake Club, serving in various roles, including President when Club House burned to the ground in the late 1990s. His all-time favorite retirement activity was taking week-long fishing trips for over 25 years.
Jim is survived by his wife Virginia, two sons, Jordan M. Garnjobst of Macomb, Ill. and Joseph S. Garnjobst of Hillsdale, Michigan, brother Richard Garnjobst of Burlington, and several nieces and nephews.
He was preceded I death by his parents, one brother Tom, and two sisters, Karen and Ann.
Visitation will be held Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024, at Lunning Chapel. The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 pm. Burial will be at a later date in Aspen Grove Cemetery followed by a celebration of life at Carthage Lake Club.