John Fiore

A memorial service for John Joseph Fiore, 74, will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at First Assembly of God, Iola. He died Thursday, June 12, 2014. 

John was born to Kenneth Fiore and Lena Stanzione Fiore on April 28, 1941, in Newark, N.J. He graduated from Our Lady of Good Counsel in Newark, N.J. and immediately entered the U.S. Air Force. While on active duty he was part of the Air Police and K-9 Corps, stationed at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. He was awarded the Purple Heart for service to his country, among other honors. He left active duty and joined the Air National Guard in 1963. On Nov. 28, 1964, John married Karolyn Scott in Irwin, Iowa, and they were blessed with three children: Kelli, Kristina, and John Andrew.

After living in Roselle Park, N.J., where John held several Public Works jobs, they moved to Harlan, Iowa, where he worked as a police officer and as an Iowa State Trooper before working for Northwestern Bell. While with the Bell System he was promoted to management and transferred from Iowa to Corpus Christi, Texas and later to Topeka and finally Goodland. A highlight of his time with Bell was being awarded the Silver Vail Award in 1982 after rescuing a couple trapped in a car accident during a snowstorm in Iowa. After retiring from SW Bell in April of 2001, he taught telecommunications at Goodland Community College. In 2003, he returned to Topeka to be closer to family and worked as a safety officer for Chronister Construction. In 2006, he moved to Iola, where he met his fiancée, Linda Arrowwood. Throughout his life John loved animals, frequently taking care of family and friends’ pets and volunteering with Allen County Animal Rescue Facility.

John will be missed by many, including his fiancée Linda Arrowwood, Iola; his brothers, Kenneth, Jr. and Ronald, N.J.; his sister, Joan, N.J.; and three children Kelli Fiore, Lawrence, Kristina Crays, Topeka, and John A. Fiore, Eudora, as well as four grandchildren. John was preceded in death by his parents, Kenneth and Lena Fiore. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to ACARF to honor his love of animals.