CHICKERING, Harry Dwayne

CHICKERING, KIM, EYERLY, FITZGERALD, SCHULTZ, DEEL, HUGHES

Posted By: Roseanna Zehner (email)
Date: 11/7/2004 at 07:02:03

Harry Dwayne Chickering, 63, of Malvern, died Oct. 8, 2004, at the Jennie Edmundson Memorial Hospital in Council Bluffs after suffering a heart attack. Funeral services were held Oct. 12 at the Malvern United Methodist Church. Rev. David Kim officiated the services. Interment was at the Malvern Cemetery.

Mr. Chickering was the son of Harry Clayton and Doris Lorene (Eyerly) Chickering, born Dec. 28, 1940. He attended school in Macksburg and graduated with the class of 1959. He married Sharon Kay Fitzgerald of Truro at the Congregational Christian Church in Truro on Oct. 17, 1964. They made their first home in Slater, where Mr. Chickering worked for the Graham Telephone Service. They soon moved to Truro, where he became a maintenance worker for the John Deere Manufacturing plant in Ankeny. He served the Truro community by operating the city water treatment plant, snow removal, street maintenance and reading water meters. He served as fire chief of the Truro Volunteer Fire Department and helped the community wherever needed. While living in Truro, Mr. and Mrs. Chickering’s marriage was blessed with three children. Mr. Chickering later took a job as an iron worker in Des Moines. In 1968, he began work for the Natural Gas Pipeline Company of America as a maintenance worker in their Truro plant. He was promoted to assistant foreman and transferred to the Hastings pumping station in 1978. The family moved to Malvern and became active memers of the community. Mr. Chickering was a member of the Malvern United Methodist Church and a 15-year member of the Malvern Volunteer Fire Department, where he served as captain for a portion of those years. He supported the community, school activities and the Boy Scout troop. Along with the Scoutmaster and other scouting fathers, he accompanied the Malvern troop on a high adventure trip to the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Each year he volunteered to help display the Avenue of American Flags at the Malvern Cemetery for the Memorial Day observance. He loved his family, enjoyed giving his grandchildren tractor rides, had a good sense of humor and was a great storyteller. His other enjoyments included camping, Nascar racing and Ford automobiles. Mr. Chickering retired from the gas company in 1996 and had since worked during planting and harvest season for area farmers. He was always willing to share his all-around handyman abilities and talents wherever needed. Mr. and Mrs. Chickering were planning to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary when Mr. Chickering passed away. Still helping others, his eyes and other tissues were donated to the Iowa Donor Network.

Mr. Chickering was preceded in death by his parents, stepfather Ray Schultz and stepsister Maxine Purkapile. He is survived by wife Sharon of Malvern; children Todd Chickering and wife Ann and their daughters Brooklyn Marie and Kinley Kay of Malvern, Carrie Deel and husband Christopher and their sons Colby Grant and Carter Blake of Castle Rock, Colo., and Clay Chickering of Council Bluffs; brother Marvin Chickering and wife Lola of Algona; sister Marilyn Hughes and husband Larry of Macksburg; mother-in-law Evelyn Fitzgerald of Malvern; brother-in-law Ron Fitzgerald and wife Sherry of Las Vegas, Nev.; nieces and nephews; and other relatives and friends.

Mansfield-Hertz Funeral Home in Malvern was in charge of arrangements.