Judd Harmer

July 23, 2006

Memorial services for Judd Harmer, 54, of Jefferson, Iowa will be 6:00pm Tuesday July 25, 2006 at Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home, Jefferson, followed by interment at the Jefferson Cemetery. (No other services or visitation are planned.) Memorials are suggested to Greene County Medical Center. Juddson Warren Harmer was born at Greene County Medical Center in Jefferson on February 20, 1952. After a yearlong bout with pancreatic cancer, Judd passed from this life on Sunday evening, July 23, 2006 at that same hospital. As a youngster, Judd enjoyed family vacations, fishing and his constant companion, Bullet – a beagle mix that enjoyed TV and popcorn with the family. Judd attended Jefferson Community Schools, graduating in 1970. Judd met and married Linda White of Boone in 1974. Linda’s two-year old son, Danny Paris, considered Judd “Dad” and has kept in touch all these years. Judd joined the Air Force and the young family moved to California where Judd served a four year term. After his discharge, Judd stayed on in California in the Merced/Atwater area and worked a variety of construction jobs until 1994 when he returned to Iowa. Shortly after his return, he began work with Shriver Construction. Judd enjoyed his work “family” and appreciated the support and friendship of Scott Shriver, Sam Harding, Annie Butler, Karla Janning, and all the crews! Even when his energy waned, he stopped in regularly to check up on everyone! Sam Harding shared these thoughts about Judd’s twelve years at Shriver’s: Judd was a highly valued employee of Shriver Construction Company in Jefferson where he served as a Construction Superintendent and worked on dozens of projects throughout the years. He was blessed with a terrific sense of humor that helped make all those around him feel more at ease. A skilled craftsman, he took great pride in his work, and he was able to lead others to take that same pride in their work. Judd’s loyalty to the company led them to often invest in his continuing education. He attended numerous schools and seminars including a specialized course in commercial door hardware in Connecticut. His ability to integrate the lessons from these courses into his project supervision helped to make his projects, in particular, and Shriver, in general, more productive and efficient. Through the years, several projects Judd supervised rose to the highest levels of excellence with two of those receiving awards from the Associated Builder’s and Contractors of Iowa. In 1999, the Kuemper Catholic High School Renovation received the Award of Distinction, and in 2000, the Madrid Elementary School Addition received the Award of Merit. Having his work recognized with these statewide awards was a source of great pride to Judd. The most important role Judd played at Shriver, though, was that of a teacher. New, inexperienced hires were often assigned to Judd’s crews because he had the patience to work with them and teach them the skills necessary to be productive members of the team. His teamwork approach helped to keep his projects running smoothly and efficiently, another source of great pride to him. All of us at Shriver’s will miss his leadership! In his off-hours, Judd spent time with his parents, friends and neighbors. He enjoyed his home and the company of his cat, Honey and took great pride in his lawn and garden. He spent a lot of time in his basement workshop, crafting one-of-a-kind frames and tables from wood he salvaged. On vacations to Las Vegas, Judd, Jack and Scott attended the NASCAR races and checked out all the casinos, especially the buffets! Good food was important to Judd – he especially enjoyed his mom’s homemade noodles, Angie’s broccoli salad and Chris’s biscuits and gravy. It was a source of frustration to him that he had to curtail his intake of pie, doughnuts and ice cream when he got sick. Judd was preceded in death by his grandparents Barton and Blanche Harmer of Pacific Junction and Roy and Bess Pine of Anita, Iowa. Survivors include his parents, Merritt and Virginia Harmer of Jefferson; his brother, Jack Harmer of Las Vegas; his niece, Angela Harmer of Des Moines; nephew, Scott Harmer of Jefferson; sister-in-law, Chris Henning of Cooper, his step-son Danny Paris and Danny’s mother Linda White of Wyoming. We will all miss him!