James Edwin Mahan, Jr.

James Edwin Mahan, Jr., age 93, of Leon, Iowa, the son of James Edwin, Sr. and Ettie Katherine (Lucas) Mahan, was born August 5, 1931, at Mount Ayr, Iowa. He left this life on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at the Decatur County Hospital in Leon, Iowa.
Jim grew up in Mount Ayr and graduated from Mount Ayr High School with the Class of 1949. He joined the United States Navy in July of 1952. After his honorable discharge in May of 1954, he worked for his dad at Mahan Monument Co. and the Iowa Fish Hatchery, both in Mount Ayr until landing a job at Iowa Southern Utilities as a meter reader. With his work ethic and personality, he worked his way up into management and retired as district manager over several southern Iowa towns. He lived in both Mount Ayr and Leon, Iowa to fulfill his duties.
In December of 1954, he was united in marriage to Betty Jean Powell in Mount Ayr. They were blessed with two sons, Thomas and Kevin. Betty and her mother were both killed in a tragic motor vehicle accident in December of 1964. On March 31, 1968, Jim married Marilyn Joan Fulton. Jim later adopted her two children, Shannon and Bruce. To complete the family, they were blessed with a son, Sean.
Jim was a member of the Mount Ayr American Legion Post 172, the Creston Elks Lodge #605, and the Leon Golf and Country Club. In his free time, he enjoyed golfing, fishing, and watching the Iowa Hawkeye teams.
Preceding him in death were his parents; wives, Betty Mahan and Marilyn Mahan; and his sisters, Dorothy Caskey, Gertrude Baker, and Bettye Coates. Survivors include his children, Tom & Tonya Mahan of Denton, Texas, Kevin & Jane Mahan of Creston, Iowa, Shannon Yeaton of New Albany, Indiana, Bruce & Tammy Mahan of Parker, Texas, and Sean & Stephanie Mahan of Corydon, Iowa; 14 grandchildren; 14 great grandchildren; nieces and nephews; other relatives; and many, many friends.
A memorial service will be held at the Slade – O’Donnell Funeral Home in Leon, Iowa on Saturday, January 25, 2025, at 10 a.m., with Pastor Rick Hawkins officiating. A visitation gathering will be on Friday at the funeral home from 3 – 7 p.m. Burial will be in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr, Iowa at a later date.