Crash near Janesville kills former East Greene superintendent

By Maria Kuiper and Andrew Wind
Courtesy of the Waterloo Courier

JANESVILLE — The mayor of Fairbank and former East Greene superintendent was killed in a two-vehicle crash July 18 on U.S. Highway 218 that involved a driver’s education car.

Gregory Harter, 71, a passenger in the driver’s education vehicle, died at the scene. Three others were injured, including two 14-year-olds, one of whom was the driver.
Fairbank City Clerk Brittany Fuller confirmed that the victim in the crash was Mayor Gregory “Mike” Harter.

The Iowa State Patrol said that shortly before 8:30 a.m. a 14-year-old from Waterloo was driving a Chevy Impala southbound on Highway 218 near the Janesville exit when the car went onto the shoulder. The driver over-corrected, crossing the southbound lanes of the highway and the median into the path of an oncoming northbound car.
A State Patrol official confirmed the Chevy Impala was a driver’s education vehicle.

The driver of the Impala and a passenger from Waverly, the other 14-year-old, were hurt in the accident. The woman in the other car, Tabetha Gehrke, of Waterloo, was also injured.
A message acknowledging Harter’s death was posted on the city of Fairbank’s Facebook page late afternoon Monday.
“Mike was very active in our community over the years and excelled in his Mayoral position to help lead the community in the right direction,” said the post. “He served as Mayor since January of 2018 and before that on the city council for 2 years.

“Mike’s love for his family and passion for the community was seen daily and his commitment to the City of Fairbank will always be remembered. He will be dearly missed by city staff, the council, and the community of Fairbank. We’d like to extend our deepest sympathies to Mike’s wife, Marla, their children, Andy (Jeni), and Ryan, and their families.”

Harter previously served on the Wapsie Valley Board of Education, according to Courier files. In 2018, he stepped down from his seat to become Wapsie Valley Community Schools’ interim superintendent after the board ended a sharing agreement on the leadership position with Dunkerton Community Schools.

He was a former educator who retired nearly a decade ago as a school superintendent. Harter led East Greene School district for more than 10 years prior to the 2014 merger with Jefferson-Scranton. He was hired as new superintendent in the summer of 2002 after spending 11 years in the Wapsie Valley district.

Harter was elected to the Wapsie Valley school board in September 2017 and elected mayor a few months later in November. He stepped down from the board in October 2018 to lead the district on an interim basis.
Harter was a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa before obtaining a masters degree from Northwest Missouri State. He then returned to UNI for advanced studies.

He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Marla as well a two sons, Andy and Ryan, in addition to five grandchildren, two brothers and one sister, according to Harter’s obituary.
Harter was transported to Woods Funeral Home after Monday’s accident. The two teenagers were transported to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital and Gehrke was transported to MercyOne Waterloo Medical Center.
Also responding to the scene of the accident were the Bremer County Sheriff’s Office, Janesville fire and police departments, Waverly Ambulance, the state medical examiner’s office, Tim and Mike’s Towing, and the Iowa Department of Transportation. The crash remains under investigation by the Iowa State Patrol.

A celebration of life was held July 22 at Wapsie Valley High School.