Funeral service for John Kerber of Emmetsburg was held Thursday, Nov. 10, at the First United Methodist Church in Emmetsburg. The Rev. Lana Williams officiated.
Interment was in Evergreen Cemetery, Emmetsburg. The Martin-Mattice Funeral Home in Emmetsburg was in charge of arrangements.
Edgar John Kerber, son of Fred and Arlene (Scott) Kerber, was born June 15, 1936 in Spirit Lake. He received his education in Emmetsburg, graduating from Emmetsburg High School in 1954. Following graduation, John attended Iowa State University for a semester before transferring to Cornell University, where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in animal science with a certificate to teach.
On Dec. 28, 1957 John was united in marriage to Virginia Field. They were blessed with four children. John and Virginia made their home in Indiana before returning to Emmetsburg where John taught science in the public school system. After Virginia’s death in 1996, John was married to Iveta (Fee) Vondrak on Sept. 4, 1999 at Holy Family Catholic Church in Emmetsburg.
John Kerber was a tireless builder and promoter.
During the 1960s, John (along with his brother Phil) took over managing Kerber Milling Company, which had been founded by their father, Fred, in 1922. At that time, the company was grinding oats for flour and selling mostly to bakeries. During the depression they discovered a niche in grinding oat hulls and shipping them out on rail cars. The mill later developed into a livestock feed company. By the mid-90s, John had bought out his brother, and agriculture was changing rapidly. Small companies like Kerber Milling, along with their traditional family farming customers, were being pushed aside in favor of large integrated producers. John responded by transforming the business, reinventing it as a family of affiliated partnerships with those customers—dubbed the Hawkeye Sow System—that collectively boasted integrated operations with the size and scale they needed to compete with the giants of the industry. As a result, both the mill and its customers not only survived, but thrived, and John was respected by some of the leading experts in the field, as well as the producers that were both his customers and his partners.
John was also, literally, one of the founding fathers of Emmetsburg wrestling. He organized the first Little E'Hawk tournament (now approaching its 52nd year), and it instantly became one of the biggest and best kids' tournaments in the Midwest, drawing wrestlers from across the country. He led trips to camps and tournaments from coast to coast--with cars, RVs, buses, and even a train packed with wrestlers, coaches and families. The program he helped to build has since produced dozens of state individual and team titles for the E-Hawks.
And of course, John loved horse racing, the Chicago Cubs, and Emmetsburg. For as long as he could manage the travel, he drove to Chicago for weekends at Wrigley Field, or Arlington Park, or both. His final racing trip came only a few weeks ago, when he journeyed to Kentucky with Iveta, Mark, Lori and Jill to see two of his horses run. And, throughout his life, he was always willing to support hometown charities, donating and organizing for the benefit of the Methodist Church, the little league baseball field, the Fourth of July fireworks, and The Shores at Five Island, among other local causes.
John passed away peacefully in his own home--just as he intended--on Saturday, Nov. 5, the 26th anniversary of the death of his first wife, Virginia, of cancer. Fittingly, he had watched the Breeders Cup horse races that afternoon.
He is survived by his wife, Iveta of Emmetsburg; his children, Mark (Karen) Kerber of Highland Park, IL, Lori Kerber of Salem, WI, Jeff (Robin) Kerber of Copper Canyon, Tx, Jill (Larry) Graham of Milford, Ronnette Vondrak of West Des Moines, David (Terri) Vondrak, retired Navy, Doug (Jennifer) Vondrak of Lake View, and Mike (Molly) Vondrak of Schaller; 20 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; as well as other relatives and many friends.
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