Dahn, Franklin Merle (1945-2017)

DAHN, COLTON, NEEDHAM

Posted By: Paul Nagy (email)
Date: 7/28/2017 at 12:18:34

Franklin Merle Dahn
September 05, 1945 - June 30, 2017

Franklin Merle Dahn, age 71, of Lake Mills, died on Friday, June 30, 2017, at the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City as the result of a bicycle accident.

Franklin Merle Dahn was born on September 5, 1945, in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He grew up in Kesley, Iowa, where he attended a one-room school house and worked with his father who owned the Kesley Lumber Yard. A graduate of Aplington High School, he earned his Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Wartburg College in 1968.

He began his teaching career at Maquoketa Valley High School. In 1974, he relocated to the Lake Mills Community School where he taught fifth grade beginners and high school band for the next thirty years. Under his leadership, the Lake Mills High School Band earned many awards for concert and marching performances. Franklin, originally, retired in 2004 but continued to teach piano and give private lessons. A few years later, however, he returned to fill a part-time fifth grade and middle school instrumental music position until 2013. He is remembered for his commitment, patience with beginner musicians, and high standards for all.

Franklin married Caryl on December 8, 1984, in Lake Mills, Iowa, at Salem Lutheran Church. Above all else, a man devoted to his family, he had many hobbies mostly involving the outdoors, especially with his wife, his daughters, and his good friends. He took annual canoe trips to the Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. He set a goal to put 2,000 miles on his bicycle every year. He rode in numerous RAGBRAI events and toured on bike trips around the country. An avid gardener, he took particular pride in his heirloom tomatoes. Active along with Caryl, in the local music community, he performed in the North Iowa Concert Band, the Forest City Municipal Band, and Sig’s Band. Moreover, he and Caryl traveled the country with their camper, spending recent winters in Arizona. They vacationed internationally in Mexico, England, and Ireland.

As teachers, Franklin and Caryl had the opportunity to camp with their children during the summer months and take many vacations to National Parks out west, in Minnesota, and around Iowa. Family day trips, often, involved biking and hiking. Franklin was a diligent, loving, and proud father.

His survivors include his wife, Caryl; his daughters, LeAnn, of Iowa City, and Rebecca, of Northwood; and his sisters, Sharon Colton, of Marion, Iowa, and Barbara (Tom) Needham, of Cameroon, Africa. He was preceded in death by his father, Arthur (2009) and his mother, Blanche (2012).

Memorial services will be held at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, July 11, 2017, at the Lake Mills Community School gymnasium, 102 S. 4th Ave. E., Lake Mills, with Pastor Rob Lanphere officiating. A memorial visitation will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 PM on Tuesday, July 11, 2017 in the LMCS gym. Inurnment will take place at a later date in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Aplington, Iowa.

Mittelstadt Funeral Home, Lake Mills, Iowa, 2017.

Winnebago Obituaries maintained by Cheryl Siebrass.
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