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George William Shidler

March 2, 1944 - April 14, 2021

George William Shidler, 77, passed away on April 14, 2021, at his home in Ankeny, Iowa.

George was born on March 2, 1944, to William and Frances (Stalcup) Shidler in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  His father being a school administrator, George grew up in several small towns in and around Southwest Iowa, including Newburg, Diagonal, and Carson.  During his senior year, the family moved to Avoca, Iowa, where George graduated as Senior Class President in 1963.  He then attended the University of Iowa where he fulfilled a dream of playing basketball for the Hawkeyes as a freshman.  He graduated in 1967 with majors in marketing and business administration.

After graduation, George served as a platoon sergeant with the Iowa National Guard from 1967-1973.  He was awarded the Sergeants Major Award – Outstanding NCO Candidate, Iowa NCO Academy, and Outstanding Graduate, 34^th MP Battalion.  During the same time, George started his working career in agribusiness, first as Operations Manager of Green Mountain Elevator in Green Mountain, Iowa, 1967-1971; and then as Owner and Manager of McClung Grain Co. in Elkhart, Iowa, 1971-1992.  As a testament to his service and work ethic, McClung Grain Co. was the only singly-owned, independent grain elevator in a 30-mile radius north of Des Moines to stay in business under the same ownership during the farm crisis of the 1980s.  Then, as a trusted and valued asset to the local farming community, George spent his remaining working years until retirement as an agribusiness/commercial loan officer for Community State Bank in Ankeny, Iowa, 1992-2010.  George was an honored leader in his industry, serving on various committees of the Iowa Grain and Feed Association, including a term as Director from 1982-1987, and as President in 1986.  He received an Outstanding Achievement Award, Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce (1970); Outstanding Service Award, Polk County FFA (1987); Blue and Gold Award for Outstanding Support and Appreciation, North Polk FFA (1988) and Ankeny FFA (1989/90); and the Outstanding Agribusiness Person of the Year Award, Ankeny Chamber of Commerce (1990).

George was steadfast in his faith and enjoyed serving Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Ankeny, on various committees such the Church Council, Forward Planning Committee, Personnel Committee, Fellowship Board, Stewardship Chairman, and as Representative and Finance Committee Chairperson to the Southwest Iowa Synod Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America from 1997-2003.

More than all of his service and achievements, however, George’s greatest pride and joy in life was his loving family.  His fondest memories were of family vacations out West, fishing trips to Canada, and overseas trips to Switzerland and Paris.  He also enjoyed his weekly bible study group, golfing group, walking, reading, and most of all, any activity involving his grandchildren.  He truly lived a life devoted to God, family, and country.

George is survived by his loving wife, Rachel; his two sons, Dave (Cynthia) Shidler of Altoona, Iowa and Brad (Kelli) Shidler of Omaha, NE; five grandchildren, Lindsay Shidler, Cameron Shidler, Evan Shidler, Ella Shidler, and Emery Shidler; brother, Sam Scheidler; sister, Sue (Carl) Schumacher; sisters-in-law, Priscilla Jacobsen, Mary Anne deVry, and Martha Thompson; brothers-in-law, Scott deVry and Robert Thompson; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his mother and father; step-mother, Elgin (Bisby) Shidler; mother-in-law, Frances Holt; sisters-in-law, Bobbi Shidler and Diane Holt; brothers-in-law, Peter Holt and Glenn Jacobsen; and niece, Rachel Thompson.

Visitation will be held at Ankeny Memorial Funeral Home, 4208 N. Ankeny Blvd in Ankeny, on Monday, April 19, 2021, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

A funeral service will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 20th. It is highly encouraged to view George’s funeral service via live stream due to church restrictions. Please follow this link to attend virtually; https://www.youtube.com/c/HTLCLutheranAnkeny