James Akin

James Marvin Akin, 81, of Urbana, IA, formerly of Dike, IA, died of injuries from an accident on December 27th, 2020. James was born on May 6, 1939 to Edna Bruns and Homer Akin in Dumont, Iowa. He graduated from Dumont High School in 1956 and worked on his family farm outside Dumont for several years afterward. He was married to the love of his life Patricia Ann Cramer on December 31st, 1961 until her death in December of 2018.

 

He worked at John Deere in Waterloo for 50 years before retiring in 2015 at the age of 76. His coworkers knew him for his hard work and troubleshooting abilities doing end of line repairs. In retirement, he enjoyed doing home repairs and other projects for his children and grandchildren, gardening, and playing cards. He also enjoyed vacationing with his daughters and their families. This year, he achieved a life-long goal of visiting all 50 states. He is survived by his brother Hillis Akin of Gainesville, TX; sister Janice Schutt of Mason City, IA; and daughters Felicia (Ronald) Hartman of Urbana, IA; Valerie (Allan Schott) Crew of Dike, IA; Valynda (David Thayer) Akin of Cedar Rapids, IA; and Alexia (Jerry Ryan) Akin of Cedar Rapids, IA; and eight grandchildren: Miranda Hartman, Cameron Hartman, Vanessa Crew (Kody) Kruger, Tyler (Emma) Crew, John Crew, Quinlan Akin, Venora Akin, and Maxwell Akin. He was hard-working, kind, and will be greatly missed by his family and friends.