Joseph "JP" Golinvaux

JP (Joseph Peter) Golinvaux of Des Moines Iowa, son of Seaton Golinvaux and Mary Golinvaux-Thomasson, was born August 6, 1947, in Sioux City Iowa. He died January 19, 2026, at the VA Inpatient Hospice unit in Des Moines.

JP attended Mason City Community College after graduating from Newton High School. He then studied at Chapman College in California. Part of that was to study for a semester on the World Campus Affloat, traveling to 24 countries. JP received a BA in Econ and Business Administration. He was drafted Oct. 15, 1969 and sent to Vietnam central highlands near Da Lot. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army. He received medals for: Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Then he decided to pursue and achieved a Masters Degree at Iowa State University. While there he enjoyed several years as a teaching assistant in the Sociology department. He then became employed by the Iowa Department of Transportation. His employment involved improving access to Iowa's fleet of over 1,500 public transportation vehicles and upgrading buildings across Iowa that were accessed by the DOT. After 30 years of working there, he retired in 2010.

JP received 2 black belts in Tae Kwan Do and served as a long time member in the Optimist Club of Iowa. He was President for a time at the Des Moines downtown Club. JP also enjoyed riding bikes and participated in Ragbrai numerous times. His travels included canoe trips to the Nahanni River in Northern Canada, and canoeing various rivers with friends. Travels have also included an enjoyable visit with family in Greece. In 1998, he married Cheryl Cibula and they traveled throughout the US.

He is survived by his wife Cheryl; siblings Mary Ann Golinvaux, Jon Golinvaux, and Dave Thomasson. He was preceded in death by his parents, and in-laws Lawrence and Philomena Cibula, and brother Jim Thomasson.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2026 from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. with memory sharing at 4:30 p.m. at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home (8201 Hickman Rd. Urbandale, IA). A Funeral Mass will take place on Monday, January 26, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church (2926 Beaver Ave, Des Moines, IA), with a luncheon to follow. Burial will be held at a later date at Stayskal Cemetery in Tama, IA.