Brian Thomas Jennings

Brian T. Jennings, 46, of Ogden, Iowa, passed away on Friday, July 31, 2020, at the Israel Family Hospice House in Ames with his wife by his side.

Celebration of Life services will be a private family service at the funeral home and graveside on Friday August 7 at 11:00am. For those that wish to pay respects, the family will be gathering at The Melchert residence, 519 NE 2nd St., Ogden after the private services. For online obituaries & condolences visit: www.carsonstappfuneralhome.com

Brian Thomas Jennings was born on October 6, 1973, in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Roy and Cathy (Whitlow) Jennings. He was a graduate of the Schuyler Missouri R-1 High School, and furthered his education at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa.

Following his education, Brian moved to Des Moines where he met his 1st wife, Jennifer Joss. They were blessed with three boys, Tyler, Brendan, and Xander. The couple later divorced.

On March 30, 2013, Brian was united in marriage to Melany (Melchert) Olesen. They made their home in Ogden and Brian worked as a Right of Way Agent in recent years. Brian and Melany also own an Old Hickory Buildings dealership and Brian thoroughly enjoyed selling sheds. They were also owners of rental properties in Ogden and he strived to be that better landlord. Brian was also able to fulfill an item on his bucket list by owning and operating his own consignment store & computer repair business for a few years. It was known as Iowa Hub in downtown Ogden.

Brian enjoyed collecting numerous items and learning new skills. He loved research and learning. He was a video game player and a collector of old game consoles & equipment. He collected remote control cars and loved to see how fast he could make them go. He collected coins and foreign currency. He collected models, army tanks and cannons. He collected firearms and ammunition. He loved to shoot, but not hunt. He tried his hand at smoking meats, wine making, photography, framing, 3-D printing, drones, furniture repair, computer repair, scratch build modeling and air brush painting. He loved the thrill of the find in thrift store trips and garage sale outings. He was known to bring something home, clean it up, post it for sale and see how much profit he could make. It didn’t matter to him if the item was a low end price tag or something of greater value—it was the risk of the “flip” that he enjoyed. He loved plants and was known to collect plant clippings on his outings just to see if he could make it grow.

Brian loved spending time with his family. He enjoyed watching movies with the boys. He was an avid Star Wars fan. He had a little fun with “I Love you Plus One” as he made a game of who could say it first. He also enjoyed watching his son in law Eric and grandson Landon race, but more importantly the family and friends at the track. He was proud to provide his mom and dad with their own “private” campground. He was thrilled when his grandchildren were born and when he could visit and spend time with them. He enjoyed hosting family dinners.

He was preceded in death by grandparents, Wayne and Vera Jennings and Howard Whitlow, his mother-in-law, Patricia Melchert, and a brother-in-law, Mitchell Melchert.

Survivors include his wife, Melany Jennings of Ogden, IA; children, Tyler (Brianna Wichman) Joss of Yuma, AZ, Brendan Jennings, and Xander Jennings both of Des Moines, IA, Lexi (Eric) Elliott of Ogden, IA, and Katie (Damon) Moran of Boone, IA;
grandchildren, Landon, Aubree, Masyn, and Micah; parents, Roy and Cathy Jennings of Queen City, MO; one brother, Brady (Cassie) Jennings of O’Fallon, MO; nieces, Alivia and Avery Jennings, Allison (Greg) Hamilton, Mallory, Holly & Allyssa Melchert; grandmother, Pauline Whitlow of Queen City, MO; father-in-law, Maynard (Teresa) Melchert of Ogden, IA; sister-in-law, Lisa Melchert of Ogden, IA; and other aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, relatives, and friends.

Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.