John Dethloff Jr. 85 of Harvey died Sunday June 4, 2017 at the St. Aloisius Nursing Home of Harvey. Arrangements with Hertz Funeral Home of Harvey.

Funeral services will be held at the First Lutheran Church of Harvey on Saturday, June 10, 2017 at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be held at the Hertz Funeral Home of Harvey on Friday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Burial will be held in Sunnyside Cemetery of Harvey.

John was born on March 17, 1932 in Harvey to John and Rosella (Lucas) Dethloff . He grew up on the family farm and attended high school in Harvey. He married Geraldine Appelt on December 7, 1956 in Harvey. They spent their lives working together on the family farm southeast of Harvey with their three children. He was a mechanic and worked on the heavy equipment for Wm. Clairemont Construction Company during the 1960's. The family also ran a poultry operation which accommodated three thousand laying hens until 1963. They also ran a dairy farm from 1963 to 1976 after which he returned to grain farming, raising durum, pinto beans and sunflowers. In the late 1970's he invested in heavy equipment and did landscaping, installed septic systems and plumbing. This business became known as WELCO Construction. John was also called upon to be Geraldine's caregiver for several years after she became ill. Geraldine died on August 1, 2015.

John's hobbies were numerous and he strived for perfection and continued learning all his life. John's intarsia hobby became his passion working intricate wood designs. His creativity resulted in hundreds of woodworking pieces ranging from intricate designs to wooden bowls. One would never have expected that John was fascinated with NASA programming and the science associated with it. The grandkids spent countless hours with their grandpa riding on the backhoe or in the dump truck.

John was a member of the United Methodist Church, Wells Eagles Aerie and the Harvey Rural Fire Department all of Harvey along with several farming organizations.

John is survived by three children, Bruce (Cheryl) Dethloff of Lake Villa, Illinois, Corrine (Mark) Frost of Carrington, ND, Colette (Gordon) Kujava of Newfolden, MN; 9 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Geraldine; sister, Marilyn Kollman.