James Wilson Jewett

James “Jim” Wilson Jewett, age 93, passed away peacefully on November 20, 2024, at Kinnic Health & Rehabilitation in River Falls, WI. Born to parents William and Lillian Jewett on January 13, 1931, in Dubuque, IA, Jim dedicated his life to his family, his work, and his country.

Jim graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 1949. He served in the Army from 1952 to 1954. Jim married Barbara Guns at Sacred Heart Church in Dubuque on June 9, 1956. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1958 with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering.

After college, Jim started work for Allis-Chalmers in Cedar Rapids designing components for motor scrappers. In 1961 they moved back to Dubuque and Jim began work for John Deere. He worked designing components for skidder tractors until his retirement in 1986. During his time at John Deere, Jim was part of teams that received multiple US patents.

Barbara passed away unexpectedly in 2002 and Jim remarried to Joan (Gallagher) Jewett in 2005.

Jim enjoyed camping with the family for many years and remained an active traveler well into his 80s. He was an avid coin collector and rock hound. He was an active member of the Dubuque Rock Club for years and served as president on multiple occasions. He also enjoyed pheasant hunting, trout fishing and activities that got him out in nature. Jim was also an active volunteer at Holy Ghost and served on the Finance Committee for many years.

Survived by his second wife, Joan (Gallagher) Jewett; two sons Tom (Jane Carver) Jewett of Huntsville, Alabama and their daughter Grace Jewett of Cottage Grove, WI. Mike (Andrea Joss) Jewett of Hudson, Wisconsin, their son Ben Jewett of Oakdale, MN, their daughter Sara (Chris) Sardinas of Oviedo, Fl and their daughter Jamie. He was preceded in death by his wife Barbara and brothers Ronald and Donald.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, May 2, 2025 at Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Dubuque, with visitation one hour prior. Burial will be at Mount Calvary Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Dubuque Arboretum and Botanical Gardens.

Services entrusted to O’Connell Family Funeral Home of Hudson.