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Jack Edwin Drake, 81, of Griswold died Oct. 11, 2015, at Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic.
Funeral services will be 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, at Griswold United Methodist Church. Interment will be at the Griswold Cemetery. Visitation with the family will be from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the church. Duhn Funeral Home, 300 Main St., in Griswold is in charge of arrangements.
Jack Edwin Drake, son of Wallace Edwin and Arlene Yvonne (Barnes) Drake, was born July 29, 1934, at the family home south of Walnut.
Jack attended country school and then graduated from Atlantic High School in 1952. He then attended the University of Iowa.
On June 27, 1954, he was united in marriage to Shirley Joan Bees at the Griswold United Methodist Church. They began farming in 1955. Jack was elected as a State Legislature in 1992 and proudly served in that capacity until his death.
Jack was a life-long member of the Griswold United Methodist Church. He farmed and was involved in agriculture related organizations and had served in many capacities, including: vice president of the Pottawattamie County Zoning Commission, president of the Pottawattamie Extension Council, president and voting delegate of the East Pottawattamie County Farm Bureau, Iowa Farm Bureau Board of Directors, vice president and organizing member of Pottawattamie County Taxpayers Association and the Walnut Telephone Company board secretary. He was active in 4-H, and had been a leader of the Lincoln Leading Livestock Lads.
Jack is survived by his wife of 61 years, Shirley Drake; children and their spouses, Marcia Anderson and husband Gary, Scott Drake and wife Myong, Jo Ellen McFarland and husband Pat and Kyle Drake and wife Janet; grandchildren, Christy Anderson, Casey (Megan) Anderson, Kelly Drake, Alex Drake, Melissa Drake, Kevin (Becca) Drake, Brian (Amy) Drake, Rachel McFarland, Lindsey (Brian) Adams, Jake (Ashlee) McFarland and Ben (Patty) McFarland; and great-grandchildren, Chris and Matt Anderson, Caden and Liam Rehfeldt, Nathan McFarland, Drake, Ava, Jonah and Naomi McFarland, Andrea Adams, Willow, Kinnick and Sawyer Drake; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents; brother David; sister Candace and mother-in-law and father-in-law, Carl and Thetis Bees.