Dean E. LeClere (1929-2020)

LECLERE, AIKIN, EGGER

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 10/3/2020 at 16:19:10

Dean E. LeClere, 91, of Maquoketa, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, September 23, 2020, at Clover Ridge Place in Maquoketa.

A public graveside service and burial celebrating Dean’s life will be held at 11 A.M., Monday, September 28, 2020 at the Coggon, Iowa Cemetery. There is no public visitation. The Carson Celebration of Life Center in Maquoketa is in charge of the arrangements.

It is recommended to utilize masks and practice social distancing due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Dean Edward LeClere was born on May 2, 1929 in Central City, Iowa, to George F. “Fritz” and Margaret Amanda (Aikin) LeClere. He was a 1947 graduate of Central City High School and attended Iowa State Teacher’s College. He married Maxine E. Egger on November 20, 1948 at the Little Brown Church in Nashua, Iowa. Two children were born to this union, Kristi and Kirk.

Dean had served in the Army National Guard from 1948 until 1956 earning the rank of Sergeant First Class. He had first worked at Farmer’s Co-op Exchange in Central City, and then farmed in Central City. He then worked for Linn Co-op Oil in Marion, Iowa and later for Farmland Industries. Lastly, he owned and operated the Gamble’s Store in Maquoketa for 15 years until retirement.

Dean was a 70-year member of the Masonic Level Lodge #284 in Central City where he had served as a past Master. He also had served as the past Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star in Central City. He also was a member of the United Church of Christ in Maquoketa and the NHPA (National Horseshoe Pitching Association).

Dean enjoyed horseshoe pitching, coffee with the boys at Fareway, and traveling the country in the RV with his wife Maxine. He was always looking for a connection and enjoyed meeting and talking to people, and making people smile.

Those left to honor his memory include a daughter, Kristi LeClere of Maquoketa, IA; a daughter-in-law, Margaret LeClere of Indianapolis, IN; 2 granddaughters, Katie LeClere of San Diego, CA, and Annie LeClere of Grand Rapids, MI; and a brother-in-law, Paul Egger of Cedar Rapids, IA. He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Maxine on October 27, 2013, a son Kirk on December 4, 2015, and brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Ruth and Keith Boyse, Dorothy and Leroy Brashears, and Shirley Egger.

The family would like to thank Hospice of Jackson County and the staff at Clover Ridge Place for their compassion and care for Dean.

In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, memorials may be made to Hospice of Jackson County or Captain Annie’s Survivor Chest.