George Foreman, the world heavyweight boxing champion from Houston, fell in love with the rolling hills of Iowa during a visit in 1988. When he died on March 21, 2025, at age 76, his wish was to be buried in Sioux City, Iowa. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

George Foreman’s grave sits on a beautiful hill overlooking a tree-covered valley.

It’s a lovely final resting place, but not where you might expect the former Houston resident to be buried. Foreman was laid to rest in Sioux City, Iowa. 

Why would one of Texas’ favorite sons choose such a remote location to be buried?

According to his family, Foreman fell in love with the tranquility of the landscape on a drive through northwestern Iowa in 1988. When he passed away on March 21, 2025, at 76, his family honored his last wishes. He was buried on April 17, 2025, but the family waited until this year to announce the location.

The 8-foot-tall headstone at George Foreman’s grave in Sioux City, IA, has the epitaph: “He gave with grace, loved without limits, and lived a life that lifted others. He fought the good fight, finished the race, and kept the faith.” Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

The grave is inside a black iron fence surrounding an 8-foot headstone with an etched photograph of Foreman celebrating his 1968 Olympic gold medal victory. Two smaller etchings on the headstone commemorate his love of horse and dog breeding. It’s tastefully done for a man who climbed from rags to riches and was often known for his brashness.

Born in Marshall, Foreman grew up in Houston. He was a two-time world heavyweight champion besides being an Olympic medalist. Outside the ring he was a minister, author, and businessman who became famous again for the George Foreman Grill.

Sioux City is not a particularly attractive post-industrial town on the Missouri River. It is possibly most famous for having the grave of Sergeant Charles Floyd, the only member of the Lewis and Clark expedition to die on the trip. The town is surrounded by a lot of rolling fields of corn and soybeans. 

In Houston, Foreman’s grave would be just another monument. In Sioux City he’s still a top attraction. 

George Foreman’s grave is in Sioux City, Iowa’s Logan Park Cemetery. The monument is on a hill to the left as you enter the front gates. 

An Olympic gold medalist in 1968 and two-time world heavyweight champion, George Foreman saw success as a businessman selling the lean-mean fat-reducing grilling machine bearing his name. In his private life he had a passion for breeding horses and dogs, which are also memorialized on his headstone. Credit: GERALD E. McLEOD

1,821st in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere. Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/day-trips.

This article appears in September 4 • 2026.

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Gerald E. McLeod joined the Chronicle staff in November 1980 as a graphic designer. In April 1991 he began writing the “Day Trips” column. Besides the weekly travel column, he contributed “101 Swimming Holes,” “Guide to Central Texas Barbecue,” and “Guide to the Texas Hill Country.” His first 200 columns have been published in Day Trips Vol. I and Day Trips Vol. II.