Obituary of John Reimler

John Fred Reimler of Coralville, IA passed away peacefully at home surrounded by the love of his family on July 10, 2025 after an extended illness and a determined fight.  He was 71 years old.

John was a twin, born in Sumner, IA on August 20,1953 along with his brother James to Elaine (Stalhut) and Gene Reimler. John graduated from Sumner High School in 1971 and attended Hawkeye Technical School in Waterloo, IA.  John proudly worked at John Deere as an Engineer in Waterloo, IA and East Moline, IL for 32 years, retiring in 2009. After retiring, he met Raeleen Lovell and they were married at their home on Lake Ponderosa on September 2, 2016.

When John married Raeleen he became a proud Step-Father, Father-in-law, and Grandpa. John would laugh that while he was never called “Dad”, he was the “Grandpa John” of six grandkids that loved him very much. John had nicknames for many of his Grandkids, and he enjoyed attending their many sporting and school events.  John made sure that every year Santa would come to visit the grandkids in person, with specific questions and gifts for each child. John organized multiple vacations for the family, and he enjoyed cooking on the grill and having a good get together for a fish fry.  He was always a good sport with a hectic house full of kids.

John was an avid New York Yankees, Green Bay Packers, and Iowa Hawkeyes fan.  John enjoyed many hobbies that he shared with others, especially hunting and fishing.  He enjoyed several fishing trips to Canada and Alaska over the years with friends and family.

John had every tool imaginable and enjoyed spending time in his garage.  His family gave him a hard time about keeping hardware stores in business for buying two or three of every tool, but John enjoyed sharing his tools, having the right tool for the job, and having his tools in strategic places so he didn’t have to look around for them. John never met a stranger.  His family laughed that he would regularly strike up conversations with people he didn’t know.  John enjoyed a good joke and he had a great laugh.  He was humble, kind, and soft-spoken and he put the needs of others above his own.  John’s positive attitude and determination at the end of his life was an inspiration to those that saw him fight.  John will be deeply missed.

John is survived by his wife, Raeleen (Lovell) Reimler; sister in-law, Lynn (Mace) Binkley; brother-in-law, Jerry (Judy) Lovell, brother-in-law, Cliff Lovell; children, Nick Staub, Noel (David) Dalmasso; grandchildren, Ceandra (Isaiah) Bates, Ava Staub, Mason Staub, Grace Dalmasso, Rose Dalmasso, and Rocco “Rock Man” Dalmasso; sisters, Sue (Kim) Pleggenkuhle of Clear Lake, IA, and Gayle (Gene) Carber of Davenport, IA; niece, Erin (Travis) Miles of Omaha, NE and their children, Ryan, Hadley, Brynley, and Jace; and niece, Breanne Pleggenkuhle of Carbondale, IL; and his good friends, Charlie Watson and Al Boeis. He will also be missed by his best buddy, his dog Finn, or “Finner”.  John was preceded in death by his brother, James Reimler; mother, Elaine Reimler; father, Gene Reimler, and nephew, Cade Pleggenkuhle.

An open house Celebration of John’s life will be held on Thursday July 17, 2025, from Noon – 3pm at Celebration Farm, 4696 Robin Woods Lane NE, Iowa City, IA 52240. There will be a brief memorial at 12:30pm.  Lunch will be provided.  In lieu of flowers, Donations can be made in John’s honor to the University of Iowa Hemophilia Clinic, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City IA 52242.