John Alan Rosenkild

John Alan ("Rosy" to his old friends) Rosenkild, 79, of Muscatine, died on June 23, 2026, at Lutheran Senior Campus. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

John would have wanted to thank all of those who cared for him over the years, especially his long-time physician, Dr. David M. Wettach, M.D., for his many years of compassionate care and friendship. 

Online condolences may be left for his family at http://www.sandhfuneralservice.com. 

John was born on November 14, 1946, in Washington, Iowa, the oldest of two sons of Grover and Muriel (Fahrney) Rosenkild. When he was two years old, John contracted polio encephalitis, and after being in a coma for several months, had to start again from scratch, learning to walk and talk all over again. Despite these setbacks, John graduated on schedule from Washington High School in 1965--where he was a member of its track and wrestling teams, played clarinet in its marching and concert bands, and worked as a lifeguard--and attended Muscatine Community College, where he met his future wife and the mother of their children, Connie Colberg, and what was then known as Northeast Missouri State University (now Truman State University), before taking a job at H.J. Heinz, where he worked in quality control for many years. He also later worked as a custodian at Grace Lutheran Church.

Although never a "jock," John enjoyed a challenge and went on four RAGBRAIs (three with his brother), as far back as when it was known as S[econd]AGBRAI in 1974, seven marathons (including the Drake Relays in 1978 with his brother), several ultra-marathons, and a full-length Iron Man-distance (2.4 mi. swim, 112 mi. bicycle ride, and 26.2 mi. run) triathlon. And, like his dad, John was an accomplished artist. He was always his baby brother's biggest supporter and cheerleader, whether memorizing all of his age group swim team times or attending his musical gigs or making weekly treks to Iowa City when his brother was in college to spend evenings together. 

He was an avid collector of bottles and antiques, winning numerous blue ribbons at area county fairs for his bottle collection, and was a fan of old buildings and architecture. At times he would dress in overalls and his work hard hat and explore abandoned buildings. People never bothered him as it looked like he was inspecting them, a trick he learned from his father. He also was an avid fan of what were then referred to as "jalopy" races in Columbus Junction and West Liberty.

John loved music and, in addition to many other musical acts that he saw over the years, including Cream, when on vacation with his parents and brother in August, 1966, he saw The Beatles in Chicago, which proved to be their final tour. 

He was also proud of his Danish heritage. Most of all, John loved his family and treasured every moment he was able to spend with them. He was a devoted husband, father, brother, son, granddad, and great-granddad. He is survived by his daughter, Amy (Johnathan) Warnstaff, and son, John Michael (Camy) Rosenkild, both of Muscatine; grandchildren: Gage (Sydney) Rosenkild, McKenna Rosenkild, Steven (Adrienne) Plowman, Michael Duclee, Johnathan Rosenkild, Feyanna and Ahnikka Little; great-grandchildren: McKenzie, Jameson, Rosalie, Jett, Vivienne, and Charlie; brother, James (Linda Breck) Rosenkild, of Corpus Christi, TX; nephew, John Breck (Jessica Lewis) Rosenkild, and niece, Claire Breck Rosenkild (Jeremy) Myers, and their daughters, Anne Lewis Rosenkild and Rose Harper Myers, all of Houston, TX; and uncle, Maury Fahrney, and cousins, Nancy (John) Fallis and Rosemary Rosenkild Seidel, all of Mason City. He was loved, and will be missed by, all of them. He was predeceased in death by his parents. 

Despite all the obstacles he faced in life, John always remained happy, upbeat, optimistic, and grateful for all the blessings he felt had been bestowed upon him. 

The Snyder & Hollenbaugh Funeral and Cremation Service of Muscatine is caring for John's family.

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