John Casali

Visitation for John Casali, age 76, of Manning was held on Friday, February 2, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Ohde Funeral Home in Manning. Military Honors were held at 6:00 p.m. 

John Frederick Casali, son of Lyle F. and Mary Alice (LeFever) Casali, was born August 18, 1947, at Bloomington, Illinois. His family moved around a lot while he was a child and a couple of those places included Wisconsin and Alaska where he attended high school.

   After John’s schooling, he entered the U.S. Army and served as a radioman in Vietnam. After John was honorably discharged, he made his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he married Nancy Rountree. Two children were born to this marriage. John and Nancy divorced after a few years. During this time in Colorado Springs, John worked as a policeman and with the DEA. In the early 1980s, John moved to Dunlap, Iowa, returning to Colorado Springs about 6 years later. While there, John worked with Buckskin Joes and owned a riding stable. Years later, John returned to Iowa and settled in the Manning area. He was employed at Farmland in Denison, Sears in Carroll and lastly at Manning Foods. 

   John enjoyed fishing, telling stories, teasing people and making them laugh. He was easy to talk with and be a friend. John’s love for horses allowed him to a be an extra in the movie “The Sackets,” giving him the opportunity to meet John Wayne,

   After a number of years of declining health, John passed away on Sunday, January 28, 2024, at Manning Regional Healthcare Center in Manning, at the age of 76 years.

   John was preceded in death by his parents; a son Jay Casali; a sister Mary Renee Borecky; two nephews Andy Androy and Jason Androy; and a niece Patty Androy.

   John is survived by a son Cory Casali of Detroit, Michigan; a daughter Gina Rountree of Detroit, Michigan; and the following nieces and nephews: Jodi (Kevin) Bruck, Melissa (Tony) Ritterbush, and Tom Androy, all of Dunlap; other relatives and friends.