John Lawrence Dasher, 81, of Fountain Hills, AZ, and Sturgeon Bay, WI, passed away in the loving arms of his family, Friday evening, September 27, 2019 at Door County Medical Center in Sturgeon Bay.
He was born October 22, 1937 in Oskaloosa, IA, the son of Frank Leon Dasher, Jr. and Agnes (Warder) Dasher. John graduated from Keota High School in 1955 and went on to study political science the University of Iowa in Iowa City where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1959. While at Iowa, he was a member of the fraternity, Sigma Phi Epsilon, and through that, he met Linda Kay Stone. They were united in marriage on January 10, 1965 at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines, IA.
Following his graduation from Iowa in 1959, John enrolled in culinary school at the City College of San Francisco in California.
He initially worked for Marshall Field’s, The University of Iowa Memorial Union food service and the Dayton Company. John and Linda moved to Waterloo, IA and resided there until 1967 when they moved to Ames, IA. There, he became co-owner of Mr. Steak restaurant with Bill Berger. In 1971, John became the owner/operator of McDonald’s restaurants in Iowa in Ames, Story City, Boone, Carroll, and Nevada which he owned for 40 years. He and Linda moved to Iowa City in 2014 and remained there until 2016 when they moved to Fountain Hills, AZ. They became summertime residents of Sturgeon Bay, WI in 2017.
John was a founding Board Member for the Iowa City Ronald McDonald House and served on the boards for the Ames Chamber of Commerce, Ames Economic Development Commission, and Gateway Hotel and Conference Center. John was named an honorary alumni of Iowa State University in Ames. He was a member of the Order of the Knoll and chair of the Iowa State University Foundation. John was a member of the Ames Noon Rotary Club where he served as President and was District 6000 Governor from 1992-1993. He also served on the Board for the United Way of Story County. He was an ombudsman for the McDonalds Corporation and was on the Terrace Hill Commission and on the board for the Iowa Association of Business and Industry in Des Moines.
Above all, John loved his family and friends and valued service through work and volunteering. John was very beloved, one of the kindest you would ever meet, and a true gentleman.
His memory will live on the hearts of his family: wife, Linda; two daughters, Kelsie (Ty) Stewart of Ames, IA and Jil (Jamie Boling) Dasher of Iowa City, IA; son-in-law, Kevin O’Brien, of Iowa City, IA; five grandchildren, Emma and Benjamin Stewart, and Alexander, Lauren, and Lillian O’Brien; sister, Marilyn Houck of Mason City, IA; and good friends who became family; Edward (Kathleen) Bridges of Mesa, AZ, Anthony Cawdron of West Lafayette, IN, Shalini (Kerman) Amersey of Mumbai, India, and Rick (Katie) Carmer of Ames, IA among others.
John was preceded in death by his father and stepmother, Frank (Naomi) Dasher, Jr., mother, Agnes Dasher; two sisters, Barbara (Jim) Robertson and Donna (Herb) Dawson; and other relatives.
A memorial service to honor his life will be held in Ames, IA spring 2020 with date and details pending.
