Dale Wessel

Dale Delmar Wessel was born September 27, 1947, the son of Delmar and Gladys Johannsen Wessel. He passed away Thursday, January 13, 2011, near his home in Denison, Iowa, at the age of sixty-three.
Dale was born in Denison and baptized in Christ on November 9, 1947, at the Friedens Evangelical and Reformed Church in Schleswig, Iowa. He was confirmed on April 15, 1962, at Zion Lutheran Church in Denison. He attended country school through the 4th grade and then joined the Denison Schools and graduated from Denison High School in 1965. He attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, and from 1967-1972 he served in the National Guard.
On February 10, 1973, he was united in marriage to the love of his life, Rhonda Harm, by Rev. Robert Maschke at Zion Lutheran Church in Denison. The couple made their home on an acreage and were blessed with the birth of three beautiful children. He began his trucking career with his father and brother Doug known as Wessel Trucking. He also worked for Teut Bros. in Schleswig, Iowa. In 1980, he went to work as a driver for Farmland Foods in Denison. When Farmlands fleet was dispersed in 2001 he then drove for Farner-Bocken Company in Carroll, Iowa. He was going to retire from Farner-Bocken on March 1, 2011. Throughout his life he nurtured and raised his herd of sheep for the county fairs and his stockcows and calves with his son Justin.
He was a loving, passionate and devoted husband, father and grandfather who thoroughly enjoyed making their lives better. They all came first in his life. He loved the annual family Okoboji vacation at Triggs Resort where he spent so much time keeping all the fishing rods working for everyone. He loved his cartoons with his grandchildren and he would be the one laughing the loudest. He was known for his famous "whisker rubs" and known by all his nephews and nieces as "UNCLE Dale." He was the human GPS for all and could give anyone directions from memory as to what mile marker to look for and interstate exit numbers anywhere in the Midwest. You were never lost. He was just a phone call away. His hobbies included flower and vegetable gardening, (bringing his "gals" wild flowers to plant from the pasture) fishing, golfing, hunting mushrooms and socializing. He loved county fairs and the state fair and getting the kids and grandkids to show his sheep. He was a great teacher to all on the love and care of his livestock. And most of all, he loved life and filled the room with his stories. He saw the best in everyone and knew no strangers. He got through life on the road through his truck driving companions; who talked to him daily or on scheduled days of the week. He took his driving skills seriously and never had a traffic violation on his record. He participated in driving championships and won "Driver of the Year" at Farmland Foods in 1982 and was Farmland Industries Grand Champion in 1995 at the Kansas City Driving Rodeo. He was named an outstanding Professional Driver for the Iowa Motor Truck Association in September 2005. He was recognized with Farmland for having over three million accident-free miles and with Farner-Bocken he had nearly a million accident-free miles. He served as a director on Cattlemens Association, was a member of the Crawford County Farm Bueau, a member of Zion Lutheran Church and sang in the church choir when they needed a backup bass voice.
Dale was preceded in death by his father, Delmar in October 2008 and his brother-in-law, Jim Bruening in September 2007. Survivors include his wife, Rhonda; one son, Justin and his wife, Carla; two daughters: Jami and her husband, Andy; Jillian and her husband, Jeremy; six grandchildren: Lane, Logan, Ellie, Parker, Austin and Ann; his mother, Gladys; four brothers: Douglas and his wife, Rhonda; Duane and his wife, Kristi; Darwin; and Darren and his wife, Kelly; three sisters: Fayleen; Colleen and friend, Bob; and Kathleen and her husband, Brett; and many other great relatives and friends.