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1955
Basil
2012
Basil "Jack" Libbey, Jr.
October 31, 1955 — August 18, 2012
Basil "Jack" Libbey Jr., 56, of Lansing, IA, died Saturday, August 18, 2012, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Memorial services will be held Wednesday, August 22nd, at 11:00 AM at St. John's Lutheran Church in Waukon, with Rev. Lynn G. Groe officiating. Friends may call from 4:00 - 7:00 PM Tuesday at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon.
Basil Jack Libbey Jr., was born October 31, 1955 in Waterloo, IA, the son of Basil "Buzz" Jack and Helen Faye (Otto) Libbey. He attended Edison Elementary School and graduated from Central High School in 1973 both in Waterloo. Jack also attended the National River Academy in Helena, Arkansas. On October 20, 1978 he married Dixie Havelick at St. John's Lutheran Church in Waukon. Captain Jack Libbey has been a master pilot on the Mississippi River for over 30 years. He worked on towboats for over 20 years and has been captain of several casino boats along the Mississippi and outside of Chicago. Jack had a vast store of knowledge about the river including piloting, navigation and history. He was a featured tradition bearer at the Smithsonian's 1996 Festival of American Folklife and the Sesquicentennial Festival of Iowa Folklife. Jack and his navigation charts are currently featured in his own exhibit at the Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington, D.C.
Piloting the Mississippi involves knowing the channels as well as the lock and dams along the river. Jack has been an active environmental heritage educator in his community of Lansing, and has piloted the entire length of the Mississippi River onboard towboats/barges (Larger than aircraft carriers), passenger, Greenpeace research, and eco-tour vessels. Most recently he provided eco-tours of the Upper Mississippi River via his business Mississippi Explorer Cruises. Pontoon boats take folks out on the most beautiful section of the Upper Mississippi River in Northeastern Iowa and Southwestern Wisconsin. Jack's personalized tours provided a fantastic insight of the Mississippi River's transportation system, locks, wildlife, vegetation, birds and scenic beauty to visitors of all ages. Some of his tours also visit nesting bald eagles nests on the US Fish and Wildlife Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge. Jack also taught his passengers river piloting skills, deckhand skills on how to read the river, how to lock through a lock and dam, how to indentify river birds and vegetation.
Jack was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church. He enjoyed traveling, music, visiting with people about history, boats, the Mississippi River, and learning and sharing his and their experiences and knowledge of life and the Mississippi River.
Survivors include his wife, Dixie Libbey; 2 daughters, Emily and Kristina Libbey all of Lansing, a brother, Mike (Vicky) Libbey of Burlington, WI and their children, Travis, Nathan and Heather; and a sister, Sandy (Bill) Lloyd of Harpers Ferry and their children, Nic, William, Timmy, and Joe. He is preceded in death by his parents.
Honorary casketbearers are James Gruber, David Havelick, Gary Leyen, John Mitchell, Vern Mortenson, Aaron Neville, Annie Weymiller, and Jim "Boss" Gruber.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
Basil Jack Libbey Jr., was born October 31, 1955 in Waterloo, IA, the son of Basil "Buzz" Jack and Helen Faye (Otto) Libbey. He attended Edison Elementary School and graduated from Central High School in 1973 both in Waterloo. Jack also attended the National River Academy in Helena, Arkansas. On October 20, 1978 he married Dixie Havelick at St. John's Lutheran Church in Waukon. Captain Jack Libbey has been a master pilot on the Mississippi River for over 30 years. He worked on towboats for over 20 years and has been captain of several casino boats along the Mississippi and outside of Chicago. Jack had a vast store of knowledge about the river including piloting, navigation and history. He was a featured tradition bearer at the Smithsonian's 1996 Festival of American Folklife and the Sesquicentennial Festival of Iowa Folklife. Jack and his navigation charts are currently featured in his own exhibit at the Smithsonian American History Museum in Washington, D.C.
Piloting the Mississippi involves knowing the channels as well as the lock and dams along the river. Jack has been an active environmental heritage educator in his community of Lansing, and has piloted the entire length of the Mississippi River onboard towboats/barges (Larger than aircraft carriers), passenger, Greenpeace research, and eco-tour vessels. Most recently he provided eco-tours of the Upper Mississippi River via his business Mississippi Explorer Cruises. Pontoon boats take folks out on the most beautiful section of the Upper Mississippi River in Northeastern Iowa and Southwestern Wisconsin. Jack's personalized tours provided a fantastic insight of the Mississippi River's transportation system, locks, wildlife, vegetation, birds and scenic beauty to visitors of all ages. Some of his tours also visit nesting bald eagles nests on the US Fish and Wildlife Upper Mississippi Wildlife Refuge. Jack also taught his passengers river piloting skills, deckhand skills on how to read the river, how to lock through a lock and dam, how to indentify river birds and vegetation.
Jack was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church. He enjoyed traveling, music, visiting with people about history, boats, the Mississippi River, and learning and sharing his and their experiences and knowledge of life and the Mississippi River.
Survivors include his wife, Dixie Libbey; 2 daughters, Emily and Kristina Libbey all of Lansing, a brother, Mike (Vicky) Libbey of Burlington, WI and their children, Travis, Nathan and Heather; and a sister, Sandy (Bill) Lloyd of Harpers Ferry and their children, Nic, William, Timmy, and Joe. He is preceded in death by his parents.
Honorary casketbearers are James Gruber, David Havelick, Gary Leyen, John Mitchell, Vern Mortenson, Aaron Neville, Annie Weymiller, and Jim "Boss" Gruber.
Online condolences may be left at www.martinfunerals.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Basil "Jack" Libbey, Jr., please visit our flower store.
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