Honesty, integrity, commitment and a hard work ethic, (as learned from his parents), were the basic principles and the foundation of his character. He was admired by many and will be missed by his family and loved ones.

John Emanuel States was born in Rippey, Iowa, on October 17, 1938, and passed away on March 22, 2023.

He is survived by his wife Diane, of Ft. Myers, Florida; his two sons, Brett and Marian States, of O’fallon, Missouri, John and Amy States, of Lino Lakes, Minnesota; his daughter, Amy States, of O’fallon, Missouri; a step son, Dan Kinkade and step daughter, Michele Kinkade both, of Des Moines; nine grandchildren: Angela, Rich, Drew, Matt, Tori, Ben, Isaac, Jack and Beckett and one great grandchild Amelia. He is also survived by his two nieces and three nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers Robert Duane, Duane (Charlie) and Dick, sister Nancy and his grandson, Jacob Tyler States.

John, who moved to Ft. Myers in 1980, was a member of the Cypress Lake United Methodist Church. He was one of the organizing Founders of Habitat for Humanity of Lee County, Inc. in Ft. Myers, Florida, when it was only the seventh project in the entire United States; a Co-Founder of the Ft. Myers professional organization known as REIS, (the Real Estate Investment Society). He was a member of the Realtors Association’s National Honor Society, Omega Tau Rho and a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International.

As a youth, John earned his Eagle Scout Award in 1952 and as a young teenager, had always dreamed of being an All-Stater in sports…a dream he realized as he was the 1956 Iowa State Champion and Iowa State Meet record holder in the 200 meter dash and 400 meter run and also anchored his high school 4 x 400 relay team to a 1st place finish in the 1956 Iowa State Outdoor Championships. His high school track career also included nine North Iowa Cedar League Conference Championships in individual events and in 1956 he set the North Tama 200 meter school record at 22.0, which stands yet today. He also averaged 9.5 yards every time he carried the football in a three-year high school football career, also a school record that still stands.

He was the 17th recipient of the Bruce Erickson Memorial Athletic Award and graduated from Traer High School in Traer, Iowa in 1956. He attended Drake University and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1960. He was a member of Phi Sigma Epsilon Fraternity and a member of the UNI football and track teams and a member of the I-Club while at UNI.

John taught school in Janesville High School and at Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School in Iowa. After being employed by IBM in Iowa for seven years, he began his 38-year career in real estate syndication. He syndicated real estate in both Iowa and Florida. In 1984, he founded and organized his own company, Florida Investors and concentrated on land syndications in Southwest Florida.

He and his wife Diane loved international travel and visited all seven continents, seventy-seven countries and territories, ten Canadian Provinces and traveled to each state in the United States at least three times. Life as a great adventure, and traveling were both passions for John and Diane.

Funeral services will be held in the Cypress Lake United Methodist Church in Ft. Myers on Saturday, April 22 at 10:30 AM and will be officiated by the Pastor Marcus Zillman. He will be laid to rest in the Rippey Cemetery in Rippey, Iowa.

Memorial gifts should be directed to the Cypress Lake United Methodist Church, the Southwest Florida Community Foundation in Ft. Myers or the Traer Community Foundation in Traer, Iowa.