Jim Quinlan

Jim Quinlan, 75, of Swaledale, IA, died Thursday, August 13, 2015, at the Iowa State Plowing Contest in Belmond, IA. He was with friends plowing which he loved doing. Funeral services will be held 10:30 AM on Monday, August 17, 2015, at Grace Evangelical Free Church, 440 N. Illinois Ave, Mason City, with Pastor Scott Davis of Grace Evangelical Free Church and Pastor Jeff Dahlin of Praise Community Church officiating. Interment will follow at 2:00 PM in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Thornton, IA. Visitation will be from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Sunday, August 16, 2015, at Major Erickson Funeral Home, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue. Memorials may be directed to the Jim Quinlan memorial fund in care of the family.

John James “Jim” Quinlan was born in Minneapolis, MN, on April 8, 1940, to John Joseph Quinlan and Helen Mae Caspers Quinlan. Jim graduated from Thornton High School in 1958. He worked at Ingebretson Grain in Thornton and later started farming in 1962. Jim married Karen Doane on January 30, 1965, at the Methodist Church in Thornton. They became the parents of two children, Connie and Robert.

Jim was a farmer at heart. He loved working the earth and the satisfaction of what could come from it. In 1983 Jim and Karen started Sunny Seed Co. This was established to clean oats for elevators and farmers for all the PIK acres and soybeans were also cleaned. Farming allowed for hobbies of competition plowing and draft horses. He was honored to plow in the World Plowing Contest in Sweden in 1993 and Denmark in 2001 representing the USA. Later in life, Jim enjoyed travel with Karen to Colorado, Texas, and Arizona. Jim was known in so many places by so many people that quickly learned his signature greeting “Hi Friend”. He loved being around people.

The love of his life was his children and his grandchildren, calling them, “The best crop we’ve got”. Jim is survived by his wife Karen of over 50 years. Children: Connie (Blake) Jensen of Essex, IA, and Robert (Angi) Quinlan of Rockwell, IA. Grandchildren: Tate, Shea, and Riley Jensen, Paige Scheffers, and McKenna Quinlan.

He was preceded in death by his parents and one brother: Timothy.