Jay Willems of Mount Vernon was one of 114 attorneys recognized at the Annual Iowa Bar Association meeting on June 26 as a 50-year member of the Iowa Bar. Keynote speaker for the event was co-celebrant former Governor Tom Vilsack.
Jay, a graduate of Ackley-Geneva High School and the University of Northern Iowa, graduated from the University of Iowa School of Law in 1975 and was admitted to the Iowa Bar that year. He practiced law in Anamosa for 45 years, retiring in 2020.
Jay was active in the Anamosa community throughout his career, serving on the school board, city council, city recreation board, St. Paul church council, Jones Regional Hospital Board, St. Luke’s Hospital Board, and as an active member of Anamosa Rotary for 49 years. Currently Jay is president of the Jones Regional Hospital Foundation Board, serves on the planning and zoning board in Mount Vernon and the Iowa Bar LAWPAC, and volunteers with Iowa Legal Aid.
Jay and his wife Arlie, a former Anamosa teacher, Mount Mercy professor and Iowa Department of Education consultant, reside in Mount Vernon where they enjoy grandchildren’s activities. Son Nate, a partner in the Rush and Nicholson Law Firm in Cedar Rapids, has practiced labor law for the past 18 years and is currently running for Iowa Attorney General. Nate’s wife, Maggie, is a high school social studies teacher and head volleyball coach at Mount Vernon High School. Jay’s daughter Megan is a vice-president at DaVita Kidney Care in Denver, Colo., where she supervises the admissions process for the company. Son Spencer worked as a journalist in Little Rock, Ark., and is currently an associate in the Dentons Davis Brown Law Firm in Des Moines.