Obituaries : Gary Lynn Zittergruen

Gary Lynn Zittergruen, 67, of Waverly, formerly of Van Horne, Iowa, died Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at Mayo Clinic Methodist Campus in Rochester, Minnesota.

Gary was born July 29, 1958, in Prairie Du Chien, WI, the son of Harlan and Dorothy (Mueller) Zittergruen. He grew up in Garnavillo, graduating high school in 1976. He then attended Wartburg College where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1980. Later, he received his master’s degree from the University of Iowa. On June 18, 1983, he was united in marriage to Jenny Barron in Guttenberg. He began his teaching career at Shellsburg Community School District, where he also coached boys basketball. In 1985, he began teaching at Benton Community Schools. He was a dedicated educator and coach and eventually became the principal and then superintendent. His coaching career spanned over 20 years, his final game was a victory-a state title for Benton Community Softball “Bobcat Proud”! He retired in 2019, shortly thereafter he and Jenny moved to Waverly. He enjoyed being a substitute teacher in the Waverly area and then became an Adjunct Professor at Wartburg College for four years. He also thoroughly enjoyed mowing at Prairie Links Golf Course in Waverly.

Gary enjoyed the outdoors; he could usually be found playing golf or trout fishing on one of the many Clayton County trout streams. He was a dedicated member of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union and the State Speech Board. Family was of great importance to Gary; highlights include yearly trips to Rocky Mountain National Park and attending as many of his grandchildren’s events as he could.

Gary is survived by his wife, Jenny, of Waverly, four children; Jeff (Chelsey) Zittergruen of Atkins, Iowa, Katie (Ryan) Henriksen of Waverly, Thomas (Kaylin) Zittergruen of Boulder, Colorado and Michael Zittergruen of Waterloo, four grandchildren; Kinley, Cooper and Coen Zittergruen and Elyse Henriksen, four brothers; Brian (Linda) Zittergruen of Muskego, Wisconsin, John (Bonnie) Zittergruen of Urbandale, Mark (Maureen) Zittergruen of Cedar Rapids and David (Nancy) Zittergruen of Victoria, Minnesota, his mother-in-law, Marilyn Barron of Guttenberg, two brothers-in-law, Paul (Marlene Israel) Barron of Madison, Wisconsin and John (Sandy) Barron of Guttenberg, a sister-in-law, Susan (Al) Covington of Cedar Rapids and numerous nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Harlan and Dorothy Zittergruen, a son in infancy Scott, a granddaughter, Kylee Zittergruen, and his father-in-law, Donald Barron.

Funeral Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at Prairie Lakes Church in Cedar Falls. Burial will follow in the Salem Cemetery, Van Horne, Iowa. Visitation will be from 3-6 p.m. on Friday, January 23, at the Kaiser-Corson Funeral Home in Waverly and for an hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial contributions be made to the Benton Scholarship Foundation. Online condolences may be left at kaisercorson.com