White Funeral Home
400 First Street West
Independence, Iowa 50644

INDEPENDENCE – John Walter Brackett, Jr., 69 years old, of Independence, Iowa, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, August 30, 2025, following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be 11:00 a.m., Friday, September 5, 2025, at the Calvary Evangelistic Center, Independence, Iowa, with burial at Mt. Hope Cemetery.

Visitation will be 5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., Thursday, September 4^th at the White Funeral Home, Independence, and will continue for an hour before services, Friday, at the church.

Born on July 13, 1956, (Friday, the 13^th), John was a native of Soddy Daisy, Tennessee. He moved north as a young man and made a life for himself in Iowa. On April 9, 1977, he was united in marriage to Judith Ann Freeman. Together they made their home in Manchester, Iowa, before moving to Independence, where they raised their family.

John attended elementary school in Tennessee. Later in life he earned his GED, before graduating from Upper Iowa University in Fayette, Iowa. Before retiring, he worked as a quality manager and ISO coordinator for many years at multiple companies, most recently at OHE Industries in Marion, Iowa.

Forever a redneck, John was always out in the garage tinkering. He enjoyed working on computers and graduated from YouTube University.

John watched Dale Earnhardt win a Daytona 500; he attended a Tommy James & the Shondells concert with his sons; and he enjoyed vacationing in Gatlinburg, Tennessee with Judy and two friends.

A man of deep faith, John was a Bapt-icostal who worshipped at Mile Straight Baptist Church as a child and Calvary Evangelistic Center in adulthood. He volunteered at the church in many capacities, including serving on the media team.

John leaves behind the most devoted wife a man could hope for, Judy Brackett of Independence; his two sons, Tim (Kari) Brackett of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Jeff (Des) Brackett of Oelwein, Iowa; his beloved granddaughter, Josephine – who brought him so much joy over these last two years; his sisters, Karen and Joy; half – brothers Tom and Mike; his uncle, Henry; and aunts, Frankie and Patsy – who helped provide care for John as a child.

He was preceded in death by his loving grandmother, Margaret Johnson Brackett – who made the best fried chicken John ever ate – and grandfather, Charles Brackett; his father, John Walter Brackett, Sr.; mother, Mary Jo Givens; step-mother, Betty Moore; mother-in-law, Sue Young; half-sister Samantha Hawkins Mullins; and several aunts and uncles who also helped raise him as a child.

Memorials may be directed to the church and to the family to be shared with organizations important to John.

Online condolences may be posted at www.White-MtHope.com.
Arrangements are under the care of White Funeral Home, Independence, Iowa.