John Roth Sr., 70, of Hazleton passed away on Saturday January 14, 2017 at his home. Visitation will be from 4-7 PM on Wednesday January 18, 2017 at the Geilenfeld Funeral Home in Oelwein with a Knights of Columbus rosary service at 3:45 PM and Military Honors by the American Legion Post 9 of Oelwein to follow at 7:30 PM. Funeral services will begin at 11:00AM on Thursday January 19, 2017 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Oelwein with Fr. Dan Kirby and Deacon Jim Patera officiating. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery at Hazleton. A memorial fund has been established. For condolences, please visit www.geilenfeldfh.com.

John Thomas Roth Sr. was born in Oelwein on November 29, 1946 to parents Joseph and Helen (Kisner) Roth. He graduated from Sacred Heart School with the class of 1965. He then served his country honorably in the United States Army. On April 12, 1969 he was united in marriage with Mary Sue Barker at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Hazleton. He had been employed with Colonial Bread for over 30 years before retiring. He was well known around town as ‘the bread man’. Since retirement wasn’t his cup of tea, he moved into managing the Knights of Columbus for the past 16 years where many people chatted with him as the friendly bartender with a smile. In addition to his duties ‘at the club’, he worked with Burco farms. He was not afraid of work and enjoyed staying busy. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus, DAV and the American Legion Post 9 of Oelwein. While time with family was most important to John, he also enjoyed bowling, playing pool, softball, hunting and fishing. The annual deer hunting excursion with his cousins and trips down south with Merlin, Ron, and Dave were some of his favorite pastimes.

Left to celebrate John’s life is his wife Mary Sue; his children: Charlotte (Douglas) Fauser of Indianapolis, IN, John (Karen) Roth of Cedar Falls and Paul (Mallory) Roth of Humboldt; his grandchildren: Adrianna, Nikole, Carter, Cory, Taylor, Peyton and Brady; his great-granddaughter Addison; his brothers: Joey (Cheryl), Michael (Ann), David (Kelly) of Oelwein and Jimmy Roth of Independence; his sisters: Chris (John) Roete of Oelwein, Susan Davis of Apple Valley, CA, Rosanne White of Independence, Mary (Chip) Allen of Marion and Kim (William) Rechkemmer of Walker; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Victoria Ann Roth and his brother-in-laws Kurt Solberg and Gary Davis.