Loren James Hemingway
Loren James Hemingway
Iowa City
Loren James Hemingway of Iowa City, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022, at the age of 30 from complications of Fanconi Anemia (FA).
Loren, son of Paul and Donna Hemingway, grew up on the family farm north of Oasis and was a 2010 graduate of West Branch High School. He was active in marching and jazz bands, school plays, wrestling, and the West Branch Friends Church. After his father Paul passed away from complications of acute myeloid leukemia, Loren organized a Boy Scout blood drive in his honor, and managed to meet the Eagle Scout deadline just shy of his 18th birthday.
After high school, Loren attended Kirkwood College, delivered the best pizza in Iowa City made at Wig and Pen East, then struck out on an adventure to Milwaukee, Wis., with his lifelong friend Molly Whiteside and a small group of friends that met through an online group called ACoRP (A Collection of Random Pictures). His study of Environmental Science in spring 2016 at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee was interrupted by his diagnosis of Fanconi Anemia that was discovered when his bone marrow failed at age 24. This rare diagnosis led to two bone marrow transplants at Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City, an FA treatment center.
Loren is survived by his mother, Donna; brother, Jon; sister, Emily (DoHun) Kim; nephews, Felix, Sonny and Joon; grandparents, Dick and Wann Towers; special friends, Molly and Shawn Ostendorf and their son Antos Loren; internet-famous hairless cat Leto; and many aunts, uncles and cousins. Greeting Loren in heaven are his father Paul; grandparents, Elmer and Lucille Hemingway; and many extended family members.
Loren had a wide range of interests. He was happy outside roughing it or in a high-end restaurant enjoying fancy food. He loved obscure films, hotter-than-hot sauce, anime, sumo wrestling and riding his motorcycles.
Loren will be remembered for his quick wit, his great ideas that came out of the blue, and his quiet thoughtfulness. He showed strength and endless patience through his FA journey. Even his NYC doctor called Loren “the most Zen patient I’ve ever had.” He greeted everyone with a friendly “Hey.” He will be missed by his online gaming friends and all who met him and loved him.
A Celebration of Loren’s life will be held Saturday, Aug. 13, at West Branch Friends Church at 11 a.m. with a visitation beginning at 10 a.m. Friends and family are invited to his family farm located at 5544 280th St. NE, Iowa City, on Saturday after 5 p.m. for fellowship, memory sharing and a bonfire at dusk. Please bring a lawn chair. All are welcome to attend both events.
The Henderson-Barker Funeral Home in West Branch is caring for Loren’s family. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.hendersonbarkerfuneralhome.com.
Memorials are suggested to Fanconi Anemia Research Fund in Loren’s honor. (https://www.fanconi.org/; 360 E. 10th Ave., Suite 201, Eugene, OR 97401)