MAQUOKETA, Iowa — A longtime livestock auction venue in Maquoketa soon will change hands.

Maquoketa Livestock Sales conducted its final auction on April 17. The auction barn was owned by Bob Larkey, who died in December. He and his wife, Myrna, founded the business in 1980.

His family did not provide comment for this story.

The business, its 33-acre property and its equipment will be sold by Sullivan Auctioneers on Wednesday, June 9. Larkey’s family hopes that the new owners will continue operating the venue as a sales barn, according to the Maquoketa Sentinel-Press.

Roger Stewart, a former executive with Maquoketa State Bank, said the sales barn made a substantial mark on the economy of Jackson County.

“Bob Larkey was the soul of that sales barn. (He) brought people to Maquoketa because of the way people were treated at the sales barn, and that economic impact was greater simply because of the fact that he drew a larger clientele,” Stewart said. “Whoever takes it over, and I wish them the best of luck, it’s not easy to do, and it takes time to create a reputation that people can rely on.”