John W. Gollobit

PIERCE -- Funeral service for John W. Gollobit, 85, of Pierce, will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, October 7, 2024 at the St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Pierce. Father Vincent Germace will be officiating the service. Interment will be held at the St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery, rural Pierce. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m., Sunday, also at the church with a vigil service beginning at 7:00 p.m. John passed away on Thursday, October 3, 2024 at the Faith Regional Hospital in Norfolk. Stonacek Memorial Chapel in Pierce is in charge of the arrangements. John William Gollobit was born to Matthias and Emma (Schnuettgen) Gollobit on November 12, 1938 at the family farm near Manilla, IA. John was the eighth child of ten children. Having lost his father at the age of three, John soon became integral in assisting in the family farm operation. Growing up, John was a hard worker on the farm. He has always been known for his punctuality, ambition, and being accustomed to hard labor. John farmed with his oldest brother for several years before joining the Iowa National Guard in 1956, serving for three years. After deciding to leave the farm and make his own way in life, he moved to Omaha in 1960. Having no formal educational, John held several trade jobs. He was careful to never stay at one job too long. He called each job his formal education, training him for future careers in his blue-collar trade life. Aviation was always a calling to many of the Gollobit boys. John’s passion for flying brought him to purchase his own airplane. The plane needed some “fixing up” which brought him back to the Denison, Iowa area to a heated hanger. In his spare time he worked to refurbish his plane – a 1946 Aeronca Chief. Having been so handy with metal working, welding, and fabrication, John was hired on at IBP in Dakota City, NE. IBP was the start of his mechanical engineering trade experience. A good share of his almost 40-year trade career was spent welding, fabricating, and engineering for the Lauridsen Group, Inc. aka American Protein Corp. John met his other right hand and true love Corrine Vogt in 1964. The two married the following year on September 25, 1965. After starting a family in Dakota City, John was asked to contract, engineer, and install all the refrigeration in the new IBP Pork Plant in Madison, NE. John bought 80 acres by Pierce, NE. He homesteaded the raw land and his family’s new home along with flying his airplane. Through lots of long nights, most weekends, and every available moment and penny, he built one of the area’s very first “Shouse” or “Barndominium.” A house built on a budget, required the use of limited resources. John was a resourceful man and liked to tell the story that his house was built with wood from two old farm houses and a corn crib. As the family grew, so did his prosperity and knowledge of his career and the growth of his 80 acres. John was a hobby farmer. He raised a small herd of cattle and pigs; some of which he resourcefully butchered during the winter months for family food. John retired in 2001 at the age of 62. John was a tinkerer. He enjoyed retirement with rebuilding old windmills, John Deere tractors, trailers, and a forklift made out of odd and end used parts and junk. John and Corrine traveled many times throughout the year to all parts of the USA and overseas getting to see the sights on most anyone’s bucket list. John was known for his love of manual labor and always expected the same hard work from everyone who helped make the world turn. John was very devout servant of Jesus and Catholic faith and was careful to raise his family according to the baptismal promises of the church. John is preceded into death by his parents, his infant daughter Nadine, seven siblings, and son- in-law Jason Summers. He is survived by his Sisters Dorothy Schoeppner of Lancaster, CA, Imelda Ward of Omaha, Brother Tom Gollobit of Omaha, his loving wife Corrine, and seven children: Katherine (Gerry ) Cedfeldt of Arlington, NE, Susan (Roger) Hayward of Kennewick, WA, Matthew (Christine) Gollobit of Pierce, David (Mary Jo) Gollobit of Phoenix, AZ, Vernon (Lindsay) Gollobit of Omaha, Deanna Summers of Norfolk, and Karen (Stanley) Johnson of Norfolk, 17 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. Organist will be Celine Fehringer, singers and cantors Rick and Cheryl Higgins “Be Not Afraid”, “Here I am Lord”, “Unless A Grain Of Wheat”, “Holy God We Praise Thy Name”. Casket Bearers will be Sam Johnson, Jacob Gollobit, Luke Gollobit, Max Gollobit, Jared Cedfeldt, Josh Gollobit, Condolences may be expressed to the family on-line at www.stonacekfuneralchapel.com.

Tributes

John W. Gollobit

November 12, 1938 - October 3, 2024