John Webster

Funeral services will be held at Laufersweiler Funeral Home in Fort Dodge on Monday, September 22 at 10:30 am. Visitation will be from 3:00 – 6:00 pm on Sunday, September 21 with a Fireman's Bell Ceremony honoring the time John served as Fire Chief. Burial will be at Corpus Christi Cemetery following the funeral with full military rites provided by the US Air Force and VFW Post 1856.

John is survived by his wife, Roxana; children, Justin Webster of Plymouth, MN, and Kristine (Erik) Columbus of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Chloe Columbus, Kelsey Webster and Connor Columbus; siblings, Sue (Dick) Eads of Marshalltown, Charles Thomas “Tom” Webster, Barbara Anne Fitzgerald, Dr. Elizabeth (Kurt) Stoebe, all of Fort Dodge, Robert “Bob” (Marilyn) Webster of McDonough, GA; sister-in-law Kittie Webster of Milford.

John is preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Mary Alice (Stageman) Webster; brothers Mark Webster and James “Jim” Webster; sister Mary Jane Schafer; brothers-in-law Mike Schafer and Greg Fitzgerald; daughter-in-law Deb Webster; and nephew Michael Stoebe.

John Charles Webster was born on January 16,1946 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He was raised in Fort Dodge and graduated from St. Edmond High School in 1964. Later he received degrees from Iowa Central Community College and Buena Vista University. John served with the 133rd Air Tactical Control Unit of the Air National Guard from 1965 to 1971. On December 31, 1966, he was united in marriage to Roxana Marcellus at Sacred Heart Church. They established their home in Fort Dodge and lived there until a recent move to Okoboji. John joined the Fort Dodge Fire Department as a firefighter in 1972; He was later promoted to Lieutenant, Assistant Chief and served as Fire Chief for 6 years, retiring in 2009; He proudly served the department and community over 37 years. When he wasn't at the fire department, you would find John with his drill, saw, or hammer, working on his latest construction project. He built two of the family's homes and extensively remodeled three others. He loved having his family around, especially at Okoboji. John was a volunteer for the Fort Dodge Tennis Association and received the ACE Award in 2012 for his many years of organizing the Wednesday evening Adult Tennis League.