Obituary of Jonah Hilbert

Memorial Tribute Jonah Ray Hilbert, the son of Terry and Melody Lynne (Bates) Hilbert, was born on November 29, 1984 in Spencer, IA. He lived his entire life in Hartley IA, and he has two siblings, Jeremy and Jordan "Otis". He attended the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn school district and graduated in 2003. Following high school, Jonah furthered his education at Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, IA where he obtained his AA degree in Retail Marketing. He enjoyed a career in transportation dispatching for the past 8 years. On September 29, 2012, Jonah was united in marriage to Jenna Jean Zearing at the home of her parents in Paullina, IA. They enjoyed spending time going to music festivals, riding Jonah’s Harley and traveling. Jonah and Jenna had a relationship everyone envied. Jonah was an excellent cook, he won our hometown Chili Cook-Off 3 times and in December of 2015 he and Jenna won the first annual Hilbert Family Cook-Off. He was always looking to perfect a recipe to reflect his own talents. He brought a special flavor to every meal we enjoyed together. Some of his favorite times were spent with his nieces and nephews. He was an incredibly loving and generous Uncle, and it was important to him to be an active part in their lives. Jonah passed from this life on Thursday, April 14, 2016 at the age of 31. He was preceded in death by his grandfathers: Eddie Hilbert and Donald Bates; and his grandmother, Mardell Bates. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Jenna; his parents, Terry and Melody Hilbert; grandmother, Colleen Hennings all of Hartley, IA; his brothers: Jeremy (Christine) Hilbert of West Des Moines, IA, and Jordan Hilbert of Brookings, SD; Jenna’s parents, Les and Sandy Zearing, sister-in-law, Chelsey Zearing all of Hartley, IA; nieces, nephews and many other relatives and friends.