John Otto Hauschild

John O. Hauschild, 79, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, accidentally drowned on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, on the Mississippi River in Guttenberg, Iowa.

John was born on September 23, 1946, in Peoria, Illinois, the son of Fred and Louise (Stiller) Hauschild. His family moved from Illinois to Iowa when he was five years old. He was a 1965 graduate of Central Community High School in Elkader, Iowa, and went on to serve in the United States Army including a tour in the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged in 1968. On September 27, 1969, John was united in marriage to Geraldine "Geri" Johnson at Zion Lutheran Church in Clayton Center, Iowa.

In his early years, John farmed in Clayton County, Iowa. In 1983, the family moved to Cedar Rapids where John worked as a Safety Coordinator with the National Child Safety Council for more than 40 years. Work took him all over Iowa, Missouri and Illinois working with communities and their local sheriff and police departments sharing stories and making friends with everyone he met. He could talk to anyone and had a story (or joke) for every occasion.

John was a loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who loved to spend time with his eleven grandchildren and great grandchild attending all their events cheering them on. He was famous for making waffles and baking cookies as well as eating many unique foods. He would say, I’ll taste anything once.

John loved fishing and took anyone who was willing to come along. There was an open invitation for anyone who wanted to join him. He also enjoyed hunting and looked forward to the annual deer camp in Clayton County with family and friends. John was also a fan of classic country music, reading, and history. He could rattle off facts on many topics—his encyclopedic memory made everyone want him on their trivia team.

John is survived and remembered by his wife, Geri Hauschild; children, JoEllen Middlekauff of Cedar Rapids, Jason (Jacque) Hauschild of Cedar Rapids, Jennie (Giuseppe Peltrone) Hauschild of Rome, Italy, and Joshua Hauschild of Cedar Rapids; grandchildren, Nicholas, Jackson, Lily, and Emmerson Middlekauff, Joergen (Tara Bartlett) Hauschild, Jacob (Frankie) Hauschild, Jenna Hauschild, Jaelynn (Ben) Saloga, Annika and Brendan Rader, and Vivienne Hauschild; one great-grandchild, Marian May Saloga; brother-in-law and sisters-in-law, Linda (the late Russell) Hauschild, Linda (the late Bill) Hauschild, Arlene (Gerald) Reimer, and Eugene (Sherry) Johnson; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; mother-in-law and father-in-law, Eldo and Helen Johnson; and two brothers, Russell and Robert (Bill) Hauschild.

Visitation will be held from 4 - 7 p.m. on Wednesday, October 8, 2025, at Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Marion, Iowa. A Graveside Service with full military honors will take place at 12 p.m. on Thursday, October 9, 2025, at Clayton Center Cemetery, Elkader, Iowa.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thanks and appreciation for the dedication, support, and services that were provided by the Guttenberg Police Department, Guttenberg Fire Department, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Clayton County Medical Examiner and Morris Funeral Homes.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Guttenberg Police Department or Guttenberg Fire Department in John's honor.