Services were held July 15 at First United Methodist Church in Jefferson for Lee Sloan, 82, of Jefferson.
The Rev Julie Poulsen offered words of comfort. Gary Haupert was soloist with Delores Anderson as accompanist.
Lee donated his body to the University of Iowa anatomy department Interment will be at the Jefferson Municipal Cemetery at a later date.
Raymond Lee Sloan was born to Homer Raymond and Myrtle Iona Young Sloan on November 11, 1936, in Mt. Ayr, the third of four children. The day before he started kindergarten the family moved to Jefferson. He graduated from high school in 1955 and enrolled at Iowa State Teacher’s College in Cedar Falls, majoring in biology/education and graduating in 1959.
On Aug. 2, 1959, he and Sheryl were married at the Methodist church in Lime Springs. Burnside was their first home where they taught school for two years. Then they moved back to Cedar Falls and Lee earned his master’s degree, trapping and studying small rodents as a thesis topic.
In 1962 they moved to Kearney, NE, where Lee taught at Nebraska State Teacher’s College for one year. Sara Lynn was born that spring. An opportunity for him to teach in the science department at UNI led the family to move and live in Cedar Falls for the next four years. It was here he co-authored a lab manual which was used in biology classes and received a tenured status on the faculty. Douglas Lee joined the family in 1965.
With brother Lloyd, in 1967 he became partner in purchasing and operating Jefferson Monument Works for the next 21 years. At that time he retained ownership in the “Mon-U-Mover Company”. This was the machine they had developed and patented which allowed one person to easily move monuments. He and Sheryl then began their winter month travels with a “Mover” attached to the back of their RV, demonstrating and selling to companies across the southern United States. In 2001 they discovered Recreation Plantation in Lady Lake, FL and this park became their retirement winter home for the next 18 years.
Lee was in the Navy Reserve for eight years, earning a CT 3rd Class rank. He was a member of the Methodist Church, a Lions Club member for 20 years, and an Iowa Academy of Science Fellow. He served on library and church boards. He was a member and served on the board of the Greene County Historical Society where he and Sheryl spent more than 10 years volunteering and helping catalogue the Society’s acquisitions. A favorite interest of Lee’s was attending city council and county board of supervisors meetings. He loved to fish, play bridge and lead the computer group in Lady Lake. He enjoyed all aspects of life, had a great sense of humor and loved his family devotedly.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his sister Colene Eberts, and brother Lloyd. Leaving to mourn are his wife of 59 years, Sheryl; his children Sara (Rick) Stine of Winston-Salem, NC, and son Douglas (Jennifer) Sloan of Metamora, IL; precious grandchildren Jakob Stine of North Carolina and Rachel, Hannah, Mia and Adam Sloan of Metamora, IL; brother Phillip (Carolyn) Sloan of Jefferson; sisters-in-law: Lessie Sloan of Jefferson and Nancy (Peter) Sugges of Chandler, AZ; nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends.
The family was assisted by Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home of Jefferson.
