DeBower, Lyle Edward 1929 - 2014

DEBOWER, CONSTEIN, WILSON, EGGER, GRIMSTAD, KLEINER, HANDLON, EILERS, HAGER, RICH, BLAIR, FENTER, FREESEMANN, BOHLEN

Posted By: Joy Moore (email)
Date: 12/26/2014 at 15:05:49

U.S. Veteran
Lyle E. DeBower, age 85, of Decorah, IA, died Thursday evening, December 18, 2014 at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah with Rev. Chad Huebner officiating. Burial will be at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday at Allison Cemetery in Allison, Iowa, with full military honors.

Visitation will be from 4:00-7:00 p.m. Monday, December 29 at Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah, and on Tuesday beginning at 10:00 a.m., one hour before the service, at the church.

Lyle Edward DeBower was born August 6, 1929 on their farm home in Allison, Iowa, the son of Floyd and Helena (Constein) DeBower. He was baptized that same day by Rev. W. C. Nassen, who later confirmed him at St. James Lutheran Church in Allison. He attended country school through the 8th grade and then graduated from Allison High School with the class of 1947. He took a special teacher’s summer quarter at Iowa State Teachers College (now UNI) in Cedar Falls to earn an elementary teachers certificate. He began teaching that fall after high school, which he did for 3 ½ years in Clarksville, Iowa. In 1950 he married Joan Wilson but was later divorced. Lyle was drafted into the U.S. Army on September 4, 1951. He served for 21 months, including 1 year with the Air Force in Korea as a cryptographer and was honorably discharged on June 3, 1953. He then moved to Hampton, Iowa where he had a 1500 bird hatchery flock for broilers and DeKalb chicks, he also sold Purina Feeds until 1957. Lyle then worked for 2 years as assistant manager of the Federal Land Bank and also became a claims adjuster for Franklin County Mutual, all in Hampton. He then took on the distributorship of Silver Shield grain storage bins for 5 years.

Lyle married Margie Eggers Grimstad on December 5, 1964 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah, Iowa and helped raise her 3 children. They began farming in 1966 in Allamakee County near Monona, Iowa and developed a top herd of purebred Ayrshire Cattle. He was proud to have the highest price Ayrshire sale for the year 1973 when they sold out the farming operation. Then, he and Margie bought and began running a 12 cabin resort (Krantz Resort, Deer River, MN) in mid 1973 and had a very successful run until 1982 when they sold out. They moved to Decorah and he began work as an ag-loan officer at Security Bank and Trust in Decorah (now Decorah Bank and Trust) in 1982. He was senior vice president in charge of the loan department when he retired in 1998. He then joined the bank’s Board of Directors and served until 2009.

Lyle served on church councils at St. Paul Lutheran, Hampton, Iowa, Waterville Lutheran, Waterville, Iowa, Bethany Lutheran, Deer River, Minnesota and First Lutheran, Decorah, Iowa. He was a charter member and first president of the Midwest Ayrshire Club and was given a Distinguished Service Trophy at his sale. Lyle served as president of the Deer and Moose Lake Association and was also on the Grand Rapids, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Board. He belonged to the Oneota Golf and Country Club for a number of years and did some golfing. He liked to fish, trap, hunt, read and do landscape painting with acrylics. Lyle enjoyed spending time with family and friends and was a lifetime member of the V.F.W.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Helena DeBower; son Kenneth Grimstad on October 30, 1999; and his father- and mother-in-law, Clarence and Alice Eggers.

Lyle is survived by his wife Margie; son Glenn (Karen) Grimstad of Waukon, IA; daughter Melanie (Dale) Kleiner of Calmar, IA; daughter-in-law Elaine Handlon Grimstad (Greg) Morse of Sammamish, WA; eight grandchildren: Brianne (Dave) Eilers, Waterville, IA, Jenny (Michael) Hager of Waukon, IA, Corbett (Arica) Grimstad of Lansing, IA, Suzanne Grimstad (fiancé Drew Pierson) of Cedar Rapids, IA, Katherine (Jason) Rich of Fredericksburg, IA, David (Lianne) Kleiner of Northfield, MN, Jennifer (Aaron) Blair and Tiffany (Brandon) Fenter of Lake Stevens, WA; four step grandchildren: Bruce (Julie) Handlon of San Jose, CA, Bailey Handlon (fiancé Taylor Denman) of Carnation, WA, Brynn and Sabrina Handlon of Sammamish, WA; fourteen great-grandchildren: Alex, Charaky and Cassandra Rich, Cheyenne, Hayden, Mischa, Loreli and Desi Kleiner, Owen and Isabelle Grimstad, Marlin Hager, Xander Blair, Aubrey and Jase Fenter; and two sisters, Audrey (Henry) Freesemann and Valda (Melvin) Bohlen of Allison, IA.

Source: Fjelstul Funeral Home database

Winneshiek Obituaries maintained by Jeff Getchell.
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