James Allen List, 80, of Le Mars, Iowa passed away on Thursday, July 8, 2021, at his home following a brief illness. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, July 16, 2021, at All Saints Catholic Parish - St. Joseph Church in Le Mars. Father Bruce Lawler will celebrate Mass. Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in Le Mars. Visitation will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 15, 2021, at St. Joseph Church. The family will be present from 4 – 7 p.m. with a Rosary at 5:00 p.m. and Scriptural Prayer Service at 7:00 p.m. There will also be one hour of visitation at the church prior to Mass on Friday.
James Allen List was born on June 20, 1941, on the family farm near Granville, Iowa to Melvin and Florence (Christoffel) List. He attended country school before attending St. Joseph Catholic School in Granville. He was in the last class to graduate from St. Joseph grade school in 1955. He then attended Spalding High School and graduated in 1959. Following high school, James attended Westmar College in Le Mars before transferring to Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. James studied agriculture through his junior year before returning to the family farm to assist his father.
James and Mary Ann Langenhorst were married on September 9, 1961, in Hospers, Iowa. They made their home near Granville where James farmed for the next 37 years. Wanting a change, James and Mary Ann moved to Independence, Kansas. James began working with the Cessna Aircraft Company as a riveter. He moved into an inspector’s position before retiring and returning to Le Mars in 2001.
James was a member of All Saints Catholic Parish in Le Mars. He was a private pilot and a life member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) who owned and flew numerous airplanes over the years including two that he built from scratch. James also belonged to Wings R/C flying club where he enjoyed flying and building radio-controlled aircraft. A self-taught machinist, James could create or fix anything. He had an extensive clock collection, many of which he made. Along with his love of aircraft and machining, James restored Nash automobiles and enjoyed photography.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Melvin and Florence List.
He will be lovingly remembered by is wife of 59 years, Mary Ann List of Le Mars, IA; six children, Karen (Ruben) Scott of Cedar Rapids, IA, Geraldine Symons of Des Moines, IA, Theresa (Byron) Waite of Iowa City, IA, Theodore List of Granville, IA, Ruth (Howard) Steffey of Belleville, IL and Fredrick (Tracie) List of Odebolt, IA; 15 grandchildren, Christopher, Shawn, Blake, Jessica, Courtney, Austin, Madison, Jayme, Hunter, Cassandra, Preston, Nick, Noah, Emaleigh and Sheldon; six great-grandchildren, Veda, Kevin, Hayden, Remi, Serenity and Emery; sisters and their spouses, Dorothy (Ed) Porter of Sioux City, Iowa, Annette (Marvin) Pottebaum of Remsen, IA, Donna (James) Mai of Le Mars, IA, Mary (Roland) Hohn of Wahoo, NE, Gertrude (John) Clemens of South Africa, Cynthia (Mark) Klein of Granville, IA, Julie (Bob) Phillips of Merrill, IA, Barb (Ken) Kreber of Sioux City, IA, Pauline (Pat) Jonas of Palm Bay, FL, Audrey (Bill) Doolittle of Wichita, KS and Brenda (Kevin) Bodenstiner of Fairbanks, IA; brothers, Joseph (Tami) List of Granville, IA and John List of Sheldon, IA; and numerous nieces and nephews.