David Michael Dickes, 76

David Michael Dickes, age 76, of Parkersburg, Iowa, was born the son of Theodore and Mary Magdeline (Hosch) Dickes on March 9, 1947, in Harlan, Iowa.  In 1965, David graduated from Aplington High School in Aplington, Iowa. David served in the United States Army from 1966 to 1968, during the Viet Nam War and was stationed in Germany.  

On August 30, 1969, David was united in marriage with Joyce Faye Van Dyk at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Parkersburg.  After their marriage, the couple lived in Kesley.  David worked with his parents at the Kesley Locker.  The couple moved to Parkersburg and David worked at the bakery, then at Kwik Star.  He later worked at Food for Less before beginning his career at the University of Northern Iowa.  While there he worked as a cook in the bakery and then as a custodian at ROTH.   David retired in September 2012. 

David was raised in the Catholic Church.  He was a fireman for 26 years as well as a safety officer on the Parkersburg Fire Department.  He also served on the Parkersburg Ambulance Service for 34 years.  David proudly served on the Grundy County Fire Honor Guard, Butler County Iowa C.E.R.T. and F.O.O.L.S.  He was a member of the Aplington JayCees, AMVETS and the American Legion.  On September 11, 2011, David was injured in the Allison grocery store fire.  

David enjoyed photography. He loved Christmas, looking at Christmas lights and he played Santa Claus for 15 years in Parkersburg.  He loved having cherry pie for his birthday.  David’s greatest enjoyment was spending time with his family and attending his grandchildren’s sports and music activities.

On Friday, November 17, 2023, David died at Unity Point Health – Allen Hospital in Waterloo of natural causes.  David is preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Ron Dickes; and one sister, Beverly Roberts.

David is survived by his wife of 54 years, Joyce of Parkersburg; three children, Gwendolyn (Chad) Buss of Parkersburg, Mischa (Aaron) Matthias of Fairbank, Iowa and Clint (Tessa) Dickes of Radcliffe, Iowa; twelve grandchildren, Gabe (Shelby) Buss, Elizabeth (Christopher) Thaxton, Isabella Buss, Olivia (Jose) Cabrera, Jacob & Caleb Gochenouer, Sydney & Andrew Matthias, Dalton, Kaitlynn, Aubree & Easton Dickes; four great grandchildren, Sean, Dylan, Calyn & Raelyn Thaxton; one sister-in-law, Esther Dickes of Illinois; and niece Jill (Tim) Higgins and nephew, Christopher Roberts.

A Memorial Service was held 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at the Christian Reformed Church in Parkersburg, with Pastor Russell Boersma officiating. Pianist Janet Johnson accompanied the congregation in singing, “One Day At A Time”, “How Great Thou Art”, “On Eagles Wings”, and “Amazing Grace”. A burial was held at the Oak Hill Cemetery in Parkersburg with Dalton Dickes, Jacob Gochenouer, Caleb Gochenouer, and Aaron Van Dyk serving as Urn Bearers. Gabe Buss, Elizabeth Thaxton, Isabella Buss, Olivia Cabrera, Sydney Matthias, Andrew Matthias, Kaitlynn Dickes, Aubree Dickes, and Easton Dickes served as Honorary Urn Bearers. Military Rites were provided by American Legion Post 285 and the Grundy County Fire Honor Guard presided over the Last Call Ceremony paying tribute to Mr. Dickes after many years of service to the Parkersburg community as a Volunteer Fire Fighter and safety officer.

A Visitation was held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday, at the Redman Funeral & Cremation Services – Parkersburg Funeral Home, with the Grundy County Fire Honor Guard standing watch. Memorials may be directed to the family. Online condolences may be left at www.redmanfuneral.com.