JOHN F. AULT II

John was born on October 10, 1948, in Fort Dodge, Iowa to the late John and Veronica “Bonnie” Ault. John was the only son of five children, being survived by his four sisters Joan (Rich) Pederson, Judy (John) Sheker, Jean Fitzgerald, and Jody (Kevin) Cairney. John is also survived by his beloved wife Darcy (Johnson) of 51 years; three children and their spouses, Kelly and Jeannie Ault, Shannon and Josh Petersen, and Shayne and Jim Byrne. John was blessed with seven grandchildren, Jessica Ault (24), Nicole Ault (22), Kaitlyn Ault (19), Soren Petersen (17), Beck Petersen (14), Rasmus Petersen (12), and Ronan Byrne (13). John also enjoyed the loyal companionship of his dog Snickerdoodle.

John and Darcy met at Mankato State College in Mankato, Minnesota. They married on September 18th, 1971, in Wheaton, Minnesota. After a short stay in Fort Dodge, they moved to Montana in 1972, where all three children were born. After 8 years in Montana, the family moved to New Mexico for 4 years, then Minnesota for 2 years, then back to Iowa in 1986 where they lived until retirement in 2010. They split time between Naples, Florida and Albert Lea, Minnesota for the next 12 years. In late 2022 they moved to Tyler, Texas to be closer to family.

John attended the Fort Dodge public school system. Following high school, he attended Iowa Central Community College then transferred to Mankato State College where he earned an undergraduate degree in Corrections. John enjoyed a long and rewarding career in Corrections. He started out as an officer at Montana State Prison in 1972. In 1981 he moved to New Mexico State Penitentiary to serve as a deputy warden. After receiving his master’s degree in Corrections from Mankato State University in 1986, he then took over as warden at the North Central Correctional Facility in Rockwell City, Iowa, serving there for 9 years. From there he moved on to be warden at Anamosa State Penitentiary in Anamosa, Iowa for 10 years. He finished his career after serving 5 years as warden at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison, Iowa. He retired in June 2010.

John enjoyed fishing, golfing, and reading crime and mystery novels. He liked watching sports, especially NASCAR, golf, Minnesota Vikings, and Hawkeye sports.

John’s family is planning on a celebration of life ceremony, in John’s hometown of Fort Dodge, Iowa, sometime in the upcoming months at a date yet to be determined.