John Wayne Donnelly

John Wayne Donnelly passed away on October 21st, 2025. A funeral service will be held on November 22nd, 2025, at 11:00am at Ankeny Funeral Home. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service, from 10:00am to 11:00am. Inurnment will be at a later date in the IOOF Cemetery in Bloomfield, Iowa.

John began his life at Ottumwa Hospital on May 16th, 1946. He was born to Robert John Donnelly and Lois May Donnelly, getting his middle name from his father's days in the Navy. As a youth, John was active in the Boy Scouts and was proud to have earned the rank of Eagle Scout. He graduated from Davis County High School in 1964.

He continued his education at Northeast Missouri Teachers College, known now as Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, graduating in 1968. The year before he graduated college, he married Carolyn Friend. John then went on to work at Adel-DeSoto, teaching Industrial Arts woodworking and drafting for 30 years.

John found a strong passion for Scuba diving, first attending classes as a student, then getting his certification to teach others. It was a habit of John's, learning everything he could and then teaching everyone eager to learn from him.

When he and his family moved to DeSoto, firefighting was the next thing to attract John's attention. He got involved by becoming a volunteer fireman, then moved onto becoming an Instructor, where he taught many aspects of firefighting, and serving as Fire Chief for several years. While part of the department, John helped develop the First Responders of Dallas County and later started the Dallas County Disaster Services team. John then went to Iowa State Fire Services under the State Fire Marshall's office of education, where he had a vital part in creating a training tool call the Internal Fire Simulator, better known as the "Burn Trailer".

After retiring, John became a collector of sorts. He bought fire extinguishers, both antique and modern, and all kinds in between. He also grew quite the collection of fire hydrants. John spent much of his time playing cards, often with friends and family, golfing with his son, and completing woodworking projects. He also adored his dogs, taking them on long walks and spoiling them with food from his plate.

John is survived by his wife, Carolyn Donnelly; his children, Amy Donnelly and David Donnelly; granddaughters, Lindsey Donnelly and Tara Donnelly; he is also survived by several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the DeSoto Fire Department in memory of John Donnelly.