SIRWA board chairman dies at 80

Southern Iowa Rural Water Association Board Chairman John Walston, 80, of Bedford died Friday.

Walston was re-elected to the SIRWA board earlier this year representing Taylor and Page counties serving a three-year term. SIRWA provides drinking water to the residents areas of Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Ringgold, Taylor and Union counties along with portions of Adair, Cass, Lucas, Madison, Montgomery, Page and Warren counties. Headquartered in Creston, SIRWA has a seven-member board with each member representing a region of its service area.

He has been involved with SIRWA since 2015.

Walston, a Taylor County native, has a work history of farming including in Virginia and New York, before returning to Iowa in 2014. He retired from farming in 2021.

Funeral services for Walston will be held 11 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Bedford United Christian Presbyterian Church. Visitation will be held 9:30 a.m. until service time Saturday at the church. Burial will be held at Fairview Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed towards the Taylor County Historical Museum. He is survived by his wife and three children.