Dr. John Franklin Clayburg, age 75, a lifelong resident of Coon Rapids until moving to Oracle, Arizona in 2019 passed away on November 4, 2021, following complications from hip surgery.
Funeral service will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, November 22, 2021 at the First United Methodist Church in Coon Rapids with Rev. Joyce Webb officiating. Music for the service will be by Lula Garnes and Cindy Seastrom. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery near Coon Rapids.
Visitation will be held at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids from 5 – 7 P.M. on Sunday, November 21, 2021. Additional visitation will be held at the First United Methodist Church in Coon Rapids from 9:30 – 10:15 A.M. on Monday prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorials be made to Coon Rapids – Bayard Education Foundation and may be left with the funeral home, at the church, or online at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=J92PG3J6BSDNC
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com
John was born on June 28, 1946, in Carroll, IA, and was the son of Frank and Claribel (Anderson) Clayburg. He grew up on his family’s farm west of Coon Rapids and graduated from Coon Rapids High School in 1964. He attended Iowa State University and graduated in 1971 with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. At Iowa State University, he met Karen Fenney at the Freshman Mixer Dance. They married on July 13, 1968, at the First Lutheran Church in Northwood, IA. Upon John’s graduation, the couple returned to Coon Rapids where together they raised their family, had a cow-calf operation and were row crop farmers. They also operated Davis and Clayburg Veterinary Clinic and then later started their own Clayburg Veterinary practice. John was primarily a large animal veterinarian where he specialized in hogs and cattle, but also worked with horses, sheep, goats, and small animals like cats and dogs.
John’s deep focus on understanding and analyzing the price movements of commodities led him to apply similar technical analysis techniques to the global equity market. He taught himself to automate the analysis of stocks and commodities price patterns with specialized computer code. This grew into a business where he sold trading software and related consulting services to clients worldwide. He was granted a United States patent for Systems and Methods for Corporate Share Buyback and published a book, Four Steps to Trading Success: Using Everyday Indicators to Achieve Extraordinary Profits. He authored many technical articles and spoke at trading conferences and meetups around the world. John was working with a client at the World Financial Center in New York City on September 11, 2001 and became an eyewitness to the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, just across the street. He spoke about this life changing experience on multiple occasions.
John was very active in the community. After moving back to Coon Rapids, he joined the Coon Rapids Fire Department, Rotary and United Methodist Church groups. John, with other local leaders, established the Coon Rapids Volunteer Ambulance service in the early 70’s where he volunteered for 33 years. He also served on the Carroll County Ambulance board and became president of the board. John also served on the Coon Rapids-Bayard school board. As the president of the school board, he was proud to present diplomas to many graduating seniors, including all 5 of his children. This continued the legacy started by his father, Frank, who presented John’s diploma to him as a school board member in 1964. John enjoyed spending time with his family and especially his grandchildren, attending Iowa State Football games and spending time at Lake Panorama.
John is survived by his wife, Liz Larsen of Oracle, AZ; and his children: Gary Clayburg of Aurora, CO; Roger Clayburg (Jeanna) of Coon Rapids, IA; Kathy Clayburg of Minneapolis, MN; Tom Clayburg of Humboldt, IA; and Michael Clayburg (Kristy) of Lee’s Summit, MO; five grandchildren: Lance, Breeley, Malia, Isabella, and Liam; two sisters-in-law: Carol Clark (Randy) of Sabula, IA and Ethel Jordan of Orange, CA; three nieces and one nephew.
John was preceded in death by his wife of 49 years, Karen; his parents, Frank and Claribel Clayburg; his father and mother-in-law, Ernest and Violet Fenney; and a brother-in-law, Steve Jordan.
