West Branch, Iowa John J. Beecher, 82, died Sunday, September 4, 2011, at Mercy Hospital in Iowa City. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30AM on Thursday, September 8, 2011 at St. Bernadette’s Church in West Branch. Visitation will be held 4:00-7:00PM with Rosary at 7:00PM on Wednesday, September 7, 2011 at the Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch. Burial will be at St. Bridget’s Cemetery, Nolan Settlement. Memorials may be made to the West Branch Heritage Foundation or the West Branch Public Library. John was born November 29, 1928 in Iowa City, the son of John Joseph Sr. and Agnes Leonard Beecher. He graduated from West Branch High School in 1947. He attended Iowa State University before enlisting in the US Army during the Korean Conflict. He was united in marriage to Norma Jones on February 4, 1956 in Iowa City. John farmed for many years in the West Branch area. After retiring from farming, John and Norma owned and operated Cats ‘N Dogs Antiques in West Branch. John was a founding member of St. Bernadette’s Church and was also a member of the West Branch Lions Club. He served on the West Branch City Council and was active in the West Branch Heritage Foundation. John was an avid outdoorsman and fan of the West Branch Bears and Iowa Hawkeye football programs. He is survived by his wife Norma of 55 years of West Branch, sisters Gervase Barron of Audubon, Iowa and Pat Feeney of Phoenix, Arizona, and a sister-in-law Carol (Vernon) Deahr of Muscatine. John is also survived by his nieces and nephews: Mary Anne, Martha, Margaret, Joan, Tricia, Barbara, Sarah, Joe, Sheila, Jeff, Joy, Justin, Julie, many grand nieces and nephews and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brother-in-laws.