John H. (Jack) May, 83, of Roseville, Calif., passed away June 23 at his home. A celebration of life will be held in Muscatine, Iowa, where he will be interred at a later date.

May was born May 13, 1937 in Mineral Point, Wis. He married Elaine Houtakker (deceased) Nov. 15, 1958, in Belmont, Wis. Together they raised four sons in Muscatine, Iowa.

May had a successful 42-year career with Kent Feeds where he retired as president in 2003. He cared about his community and was active in many local projects, civic organizations and on industry boards supporting the agriculture industry. He was always on the go, and would make it to his children’s events, be an auctioneer for a charity or announcing at a swim meet. Anywhere the action was, he was in the middle of it. When the hog industry went into a deep recession, he led a campaign to “Eat more pork,” which was recognized across the Midwest.

After the passing of Elaine in 2000, Jack moved to Granite Bay, California, and married Laura Rexroad (deceased) Aug. 2, 2003.

In his spare time, May enjoyed walking his four-legged friends in the neighborhood and enjoyed writing children’s books. He wrote “Jumpin’ Jackie, The Cow That Jumped Over The Moon,” “Rolf’s Guide to Training Your Pet Human” and he invented the Moon Jump Trainer, designed to keep kids active. He was passionate about encouraging others and selling the positives of life. As a life-long Rotarian, he spearheaded a flag project at the Granite Bay Park to recognize veterans of the armed services. He was best known for his sense of humor, storytelling and ability to make each person he interacted with feel special.

Survivors include children Steve of St. Louis Park, Minn., Chris and Joanne May of St. Louis, Mo.; Todd and Eva May of Edina, Minn., and Brian and Tracy May of Denver, Colo.

May was a strong believer in the importance of post high school education and has established several scholarships. In lieu of flowers, memorials for the Jack May Scholarship fund to support a student from Mineral Point to attend college can be sent to Central State Bank, 301 Iowa Ave, P.O. Box 146, Muscatine, Iowa 52761.