Lyle DeBower
Lyle E. DeBower, age 85, of Decorah, died Thursday evening, December 18, 2014 at Aase Haugen Senior Services in Decorah.
Funeral Services were held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, December 30 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah with Rev. Chad Huebner officiating. Burial was at 3 p.m. Tuesday at Allison Cemetery in Allison with full military honors.
Lyle Edward DeBower was born August 6, 1929 on the family farm home in Allison, 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 eighth 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 teacher's certificate. He began teaching that fall after high school, which he did for 3½ years in Clarksville. In 1950 he married Joan Wilson but was later divorced. Lyle was drafted into the U.S. Army September 4, 1951. He served for 21 months, including one year with the Air Force in Korea as a cryptographer and was honorably discharged June 3, 1953. He then moved to Hampton, where he had a 1,500 bird hatchery flock for broilers and DeKalb chicks; he also sold Purina Feeds until 1957. Lyle then worked for two 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 five years.
Lyle married Margie Eggers Grimstad December 5, 1964 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah and helped raise her three children. They began farming in 1966 in Allamakee County near Monona 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 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; Waterville Lutheran, Waterville; Bethany Lutheran, Deer River, MN; and First Lutheran, Decorah. 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; his son, Kenneth Grimstad, 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; daughter Melanie (Dale) Kleiner of Calmar; daughter-in-law Elaine Handlon Grimstad (Greg) Morse of Sammamish, WA; eight grandchildren, Brianne (Dave) Eilers, Waterville, Jenny (Michael) Hager of Waukon, Corbett (Arica) Grimstad of Lansing, Suzanne Grimstad (fiancé Drew Pierson) of Cedar Rapids, Katherine (Jason) Rich of Fredericksburg, 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; 14 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.
Online condolences may be made at www.fjelstul.com.
