Lee Franklin Stinn, 78

  Lee Franklin Stinn, son of Wilfred Joseph and Arlene Marie (Sick) Stinn, was born on August 7, 1944 in Harlan.  He was raised on a farm outside Portsmouth and attended Cass Township country school through eighth grade.  He then attended Harlan High School and graduated with the class of1962.  After high school, he worked various jobs until May, 1965 when he was drafted and joined the Air Force.  During his service, he was stationed in Florida and in Osan, Korea.  While in Korea, Lee’s job was to repair the sheet metal on planes that was damaged while flying over Vietnam. On July 3, 2023, in honor of his service, he was presented a quilt by the Quilt of Valor  Foundation.
On May 21,1971 Lee was united in marriage to Kathy Vandenberg.  To this union, three sons were born: Jerry Lee, Jason Lee, and Tommy Lee.  After getting married, Lee worked for Harlan Contracting until 1975.  He then worked at Stowe Red-E-Mix in Avoca until 1983, when he began working road construction all over the Midwest from Oklahoma to South Dakota and everywhere in between. In 2006, he retired from road construction, bought a bulldozer and became self-employed.  Operating his bulldozer was something he truly enjoyed.
Throughout his life, Lee was known as an all-around handyman and could build or fix almost anything.  His family and friends were always calling on him when they needed something fixed and he enjoyed lending a hand to help with whatever.  He was known for his skills in mechanics, carpentry, electrical, and plumbing.   Lee also enjoyed hunting and fishing with his brothers and his friends.  A pastime he really loved was going to the casino.  In fact, his last night on earth, he enjoyed five hours of fun at Ameristar.
Lee died on August 1, 2023 at Myrtue Hospital having attained the age of 78 years, 11 months, and twenty-five days.  In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son Jason, sisters Carolyn Nelson, Janice Stuhr, Joyce Miller, and Jean Stahl, his brother Mike, and his brother-in-laws Max Nelson and Bob Stuhr.
Lee is survived by his wife, Kathy of 52 years; his sons; Jerry and his wife, Spring of Nevada, IA and Tommy and his wife, Amy of Omaha, NE; three grandchildren: Jada, Zach, and Ivy; his brother, Bill (Tami) Stinn of Westphalia and his sister Ann (Dennis) Andersen of Harlan; brother-in-laws Alan Miller of Persia and Craig Stahl of Harlan, many nieces and nephews, other relatives, and many friends.
A 10:30 AM Mass of Christian Burial was officiated by Rev. Clement Owusu on Monday, August 7, 2023 at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Harlan, Iowa. Justin Stinn, Jesse Andersen, Devin Stahl, Ted Nelson, Jim Kloewer, and Mike Vandenberg served as casketbearers. A burial was held following the service.
Pauley Jones Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.