Submitted photo: The George Foreman monument in Sioux City was designed and built by Kallin-Johnson Monument Company of Fort Dodge.

SIOUX CITY — Whether in the ring, church or as an entrepreneur, George Foreman knew exactly where life was going to take him.

After a trip to eastern Iowa in 1988, the former Olympic champion and heavyweight champion found what would someday be his final resting place.

Foreman, who died in March 2025, made it known to his family that he wished to be buried in Iowa. After a trip to the region, he told his family members about the area’s landscape — including the Loess Hills area — and the moments of peace he felt in the trip.

His family honored that wish and traveled to lay him at rest on April 17, 2025, at Logan Park Cemetery — overlooking the Loess Hills near Stone State Park in Sioux City. They returned this week to view the monument designed by Fort Dodge’s Kallin-Johnson Monument Company.

Hall Monument Company, which is a division of Kallin-Johnson Monument Company, recommended the Fort Dodge business for the design.

“We started working with the family in June of last year and the original contact was in April,” said Kallin-Johnson Monument Company President and CEO Scott Johnson. “It’s hard to believe something like this is happening. We’ve done local celebrities, but nothing like this.

“Our main contact with the family was George Foreman Jr. He was great to work with. He gave us some ideas of what they wanted, and we went from there.”

Johnson has been with the company for 44 years. Kallin-Johnson Monument Company has been in business for over 105 years, since founder Anton Kallin and his nephew, Erick Johnson — Scott’s grandfather — started the company.

Scott’s dad, Dennis, joined the company in the early 1960s and worked into his 90s.

“We try to make every design unique,” Johnson said. “We used some things that they requested, like the columns and a lighthouse. They wanted it tall.

“We finished the piece with the customer’s ideas and ours. It was the normal process. It was a well-designed product.”

With the added pressure of working for a well-known client, Johnson and his team left nothing to chance.

“I spent a lot of time on it myself,” Johnson said. “The artist and I worked together. There was a lot more Photoshop work to get to the final product.

“There were a lot of nights that I would be sitting at home and working on something for it. Even on a recent vacation, I would sit out on the patio and work on some things, making sure everything was exact.”

Johnson added that every monument they company puts together is treated with care and great detail.

“It was a great experience and it was good to get to know the Foreman family,” Johnson said. “He had five boys and 10 children (total). All of the boys were named George.

“They all have nicknames. G4 has become a preacher at the church where George was a pastor. It was a terrific family to work with and it meant a lot to our company to do this. It was an honor.”

Foreman rose to international prominence after winning a gold medal at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He later became the heavyweight champion of the world in 1973.

After retiring in 1977 and becoming an ordained minister, Foreman returned to boxing in 1987. In 1994, at the age 45, he became the oldest world heavyweight champion in boxing history.

Foreman later became a successful entrepreneur — most notably with the George Foreman Grill — and remained active as a minister, author and public speaker until his death.

Foreman is survived by his loving wife, his 10 children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and extended family.