DINNES, Fred O. 1928-2004

DINNES, TILTON

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 9/11/2016 at 14:41:19

Fred O. Dinnes, 76, of Grundy Center, died April 22 at Long Term Care Grundy County Memorial Hospital. Funeral services were April 27 at Ivester Church of the Brethren. Burial was in the Sheller Cemetery with military rites conducted by Walter Sayer Post #182 American Legion and Roll-Harless Post #3974 VFW. A memorial fund is being established.

Fred was born January 1, 1928 the son of Orla S. and Retta (Tilton) Dinnes. He had attended school at Melrose #5 and later graduated from Whitten High School in 1946. He served time with the Army during the Korean Conflict. He was a horse trainer and also farmed and did trucking.

He is survived by a brother; four nieces; seven grand nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 29 April 2004, pg 3

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Funeral services were held Tuesday, April 27, 2004, at the Ivester Church of the Brethren in rural Grundy County for Fred Dinnes, age 76, of Eldora. He died Thursday, April 22, 2004 at Grundy County Memorial Long Term Care where he was a resident for less than one month.

A military rites followed in the Sheller Cemetery in rural Grundy Cowboy Walter Sayer Post #182 American Legion and Roll-Harless Post #3974 VFW. A memorial is being established. Johnston Funeral Home in Conrad was in charge of the arrangements.

Fred was born January 1, 1928 at Eldora, IA, a son of Orla S. and Retta (Tilton) Dinnes. He was raised on the Dinnes family farm in Grundy County, Melrose Township across the road west of the Ivester Church of the Brethren where he was a member since age eleven. He attended Melrose #5 country school through 7th grade and graduated from Whitten High School in 1946.

After graduation, he purchased his first truck and ran a trucking business until being drafted into the army. He served combat in the Korean War. His brother John, recently discharged from the Navy and farming the family farm, ran the trucking business until Fred's discharge. Then they formed Dinnes Bros. Trucking and became partners in the farming operation. They quit trucking in the late 1960's but continued to work closely in their farming and Quarter horse operations.

Fred bought his first horse while in high school but had to sell it when he went to the Army. He bought another horse after his discharge, and began pursuing his love of horses by going to Kansas 3 consecutive winters to learn how to train cattle cutting horses while working with a professional trainer. He also began building a herd of registered quarter horses mare bred to be "working cow horses." He bought a suckling stud colt "Tyee" who was gelded after siring several colts and would eventually become a championship cutting horse capable of cutting without the bridle, one of several beloved horses to Fred and his family and a horse on whom many people would learn to cut. He raised several colts each year for the next 30 years, sired by his stud horse Hawkeye Buck who was also a "cowy" athletic award winning cutting horse. Fred raised and trained a number of these horses for cutting and showed them. Others were sold but trained by Fred. Hawkeye Buck also serviced mares owned by others.

He trained his own and many horses for other people over the next 40 years. He showed cutting horses across the Midwest, winning many trophies, ribbons and buckles. He taught and assisted many high school rodeo participants including his four nieces and several adults in cutting, providing several of them with a horse when needed. John often assisted him in the training, running a mechanical calf that the horse worked as Fred was training it.

During the last years of his career in the cutting horse business, he learned to team rope, first as a heeler then doing mostly heading with his brother, John, or other roping friends as the heeler. Again he taught and provided horses for others to learn on and enjoy. He also worked as parts man for Heikens Implement at Eldora during this time. The last three winters of his career, Fred trained cutting horses and roped in the Brownsville and Round Table, TX area.

Over the past 15 years, Fred and John have had farm teams of Belgian, Percheron, and Suffolk draft horses. They farmed a few acres with horses, inviting elementary school classes to watch corn planting, etc., drove teams on various horse powered equipment at annual power shows, participated in horse plowings and hauled people in many town parades.

Fred helped organize and was a charter member of the Iowa Cutting Horse Assoc. He served as a director for several years. In 1998, he was the second member initiated into the Iowa Cutting Horse Hall of Fame. He was a member of the National Cutting Horse Assoc. and served as a director for a number of years. He helped organize the Iowa Quarter Horse Assoc. and was a director for several years. He was a member of the American Legion over 50 years. He was a past member of the Mid-Iowa Antique Power Assoc. and the Hardin Co. Farm Museum.

Fred will be missed very much by John and Mary and their four daughters who consider Fred much more than an uncle. John worked closely with Fred as a horseman in their cutting, roping and draft horse endeavors as well as their farming and trucking. As a result, Fred's nieces had the remarkable opportunity to have him involved in their lives on a daily basis. They have many memories of riding horses, showing cutting horses, high school rodeoing, many special horses and horse people and much more. But even more importantly, of a loving uncle and devoted brother who was sincerely involved in the events of their day to day lives and eventually those of their families.

He is survived by his brother John and sister-in-law Mary Dinnes who continue to live on the Dinnes family farm; four nieces; Barbara Brekke of Loveland, CO., Norma Dinnes of St. Cloud, MN., Mary Anderson (David) of Gillman, and Phyllis (Steve) of Oskaloosa; seven grand nieces and nephews and five great-grand nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant brother.

Fred was carried to the cemetery in the wagon he used since his illness, pulled by his team of old Belgians which he last drove in a plowing fall 2003. The team was driven by his brother John and one of his daughters (Fred's niece), Norma Dinnes.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 13 May 2004, pg 3