Obituary of John Harry

John E. Harry, 95, of Cambridge passed away on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at GracePointe Crossing Gables West. He was born on December 6, 1918 to John F. and Emily (Wirth) Harry, at Alma, WI. He graduated from Alma High School, Class of 1935. He spent two years as an enrollee in the CCC at Camp Ellsworth, WI before taking over the family dairy farm in the town of Lincoln, Buffalo County. After seven years on the farm, he moved to Minneapolis and took a job with International Milling Co. as a steno-clerk in the sales division, where he met his future wife, Barbara Witherill, whom he married in October, 1948. He then took a position as inspector with Confidential Reports, a theatre-checking agency, which ended with the dissolution of the company. He then went to work as a senior clerk with Sinclair Refining Company sales office in northeast Minneapolis and later went on to work in the sales office of the Ford Motor Company at the St. Paul assembly plant, which he left to become secretary and assistant to the president of Northwest Refining Company at their refinery in St. Paul Park. He left that position to start an offset printing business in his home, and when that did not produce sufficient profit, went to work in the office of the Soo Line Railroad in northeast Minneapolis, where he continued until retirement after 17 years. He then continued to work as an income tax preparer, first with H&R Block and later independently until forced by failing health the discontinue further exertions at age 87. He was preceded in death by his parents and two younger siblings, Lawrence Harry and Joyce Beers. John is survived by his wife of 65 years, Barbara Harry of Cambridge; brother Leon Harry and sister JoAnn Deneff; two sons John C. (Delia) Harry of Cedar Rapids, IA, and Brent D. (Linda) Harry of Whiter Bear Lake, MN; two daughters, Independence (James) Haverberg of Richfield, and Laurie L. Harry of Minneapolis, MN; three grandchildren and four great-grand-children.