George Banwell

George G. Banwell age 60 of Nashua, IA, died Tuesday, November 2, 2021, at MercyOne New Hampton Medical Center. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, November 6, 2021, at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Nashua with Rev. Tom Heathershaw officiating the Mass. Interment will be held at St. Michael's Catholic Cemetery in Nashua with Richard Prouty, Jeff Hemmer, Ryan Hemmer, Alex Spear, Jack Spear, and Brian Banwell serving as pallbearers. Friends may greet the family from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Friday, November 5, 2021, at Hugeback Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory - Olson Chapel in Nashua, where there will be a 4:00 p.m. Rosary. Visitation continues an hour prior to the Mass at the Funeral Home on Saturday. George was born to George James Banwell and Mabel Croell Banwell on August 10, 1961, joining two older sisters, Donna & Joann, on the family farm. Being the third child was lucky for George, as he was able to help welcome three more sisters and two more brothers to the family. The farm was a great place for George, with a crick, the Wapsi river, and woods all less than a mile from home. Whether it was fishing, working in the fields, hunting for turtles, or hanging out in their bedroom, George and his younger brother Dick were always together. That togetherness led to multiple shenanigans, most of which are fondly remembered by his family. George graduated from Nashua High School, a proud Bulldog from the Class of 1979. While in school, George played basketball, was a member of FFA and caused general angst for most of his teachers. George completed a building trades apprenticeship at Hawkeye Tech as a senior, where the class built a house and George learned skills he used throughout his life. George was also a member of the Williamstown Junior Farmers 4H Club, serving as an officer, playing 4H softball, and taking part in the 4H fair each year. After graduation, George worked at a number of companies in the New Hampton and Charles City area, where his employers and coworkers appreciated his sense of humor and ability to laugh. George was a music lover and spared no expense collecting albums and cassettes to play on his Kenwood or in his state-of-the-art system he installed in his short box, stepside 1972 Ford F100 pickup. Listening to music paired nicely with another of George’s hobbies, shooting pool. After Grandpa George bought the family a pool table, George became quite good at billiards. He’d attend Saturday night Mass and then head to the TownHouse to shoot pool with all the other good Catholic boys. While George lived in New Hampton, he belonged to many pool leagues. He always claimed he won, but the actual records are sparse! George lived at Colonial Manor in Elma for the past six years, and before that was in Charles City. He worked at Comprehensive Systems in Charles City for years, testing and repairing small electric items that were donated. The Banwell family benefited immensely from this job. Anyone going to college had a microwave, inspected, repaired, and guaranteed by George. The younger nieces and nephews always had surprises waiting for George when they visited. A tiny gadget, a dancing flower, or any number of singing toys. While he lived at Colonial Manor, George was still able to tinker, building robots and motorized contraptions with his Erector Sets. He enjoyed jigsaw puzzles and kept his hallway rocking with his collection of classic rock. George is survived by his mother, Mabel Banwell, five sisters Donna (Richard) Prouty, Joann (Dave) Hemmer, Ellen (Aaron) Webber, Carol (Mike) Spear, Patricia (Scott) Sheldon, two brothers, Richard (Carla) Banwell, and Bill (DeAnna) Banwell. Also survived by sixteen nieces and nephews, as well as 11 great-nieces and nephews. George was preceded in death by his father, George J. Banwell, grandparents Richard H. Croell & Leona Croell, George & Cicely Banwell, an aunt, Teresa Croell Johnson, and an uncle Richard (Bud) Croell.