John Bruce Dillin, age 93, of Marengo died Thursday, January 7, 2010 at the Marengo Memorial Hospital.  Memorial Services: 10:30 A.M. Monday, January 11, 2010, First Presbyterian Church, Marengo with Rev. Gerald Rife officiating.  Inurnment will be in the Marengo Cemetery with military honors. There will be no visitation.  A memorial fund has been established. Kloster Funeral Home, Marengo is in charge of arrangements.

John Bruce Dillin was born on November 4, 1916 in Marengo, Iowa, the son of Cecil R. and Dolly Stucker Dillin.  He graduated from Marengo High School in 1934. John was a lifelong resident of Marengo, living in the house where he was born. He served two active terms in the U.S. Army, the first during World War II and the second during the Korean Conflict. He was a member of the reserve forces in the interim.

John Bruce was self employed in a shop that his father started. He eventually took over “C.R. Dillin and Son” which included trucking, heavy equipment operator, welding, repair and machine work. If you told him it could not be repaired, he would prove you wrong. He was the last of a breed that knew how to repair and solve problems without throwing money at them, but using his brain to find solutions. He was a great man with knowledge beyond belief. If you asked John Bruce a question about anything, if he did not know the answer, which never happened, you probably did not need to know it!

John was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Marengo. He will be missed by all who were privileged to know him.

John Bruce is survived by his sister Janet Odena Hladky of Marengo; eight nieces and nephews: Peter Hladky of Marengo, Rebecca Stockman of Iowa City, Charles “Rollie” Dillin of Williamstown, NJ, Larry Dillin of Perrysburg, OH, Robert “Tiger” Dillin of Iowa City, John Schmidt of Alta, Thomas Schmidt of Peoria, IL, and Barbara Haman of Marengo; and a brother-in-law Harold Schmidt of Victor. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Charles R. “Bob” Dillin and George R. Dillin, a sister Cheribel Schmidt and a nephew Paul Hladky.