Daniel L. Kock

Daniel Lee Kock, 62, passed away at his home in Arcadia, on Easter Sunday morning, March 31, 2024, after battling cancer and other health problems for several years.

Visitation will be held at the United Church Westside, from 5-8 p.m., Thursday, April 4. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be directed to the Ar-We-Va Booster Club or the Ar-We-Va Education Foundation.

The funeral services will be held Friday, April 5, at the United Church Westside beginning at 10:30 a.m., officiated by Rebecca Brown, with those who wish to share memories invited to do so to celebrate his life during the service.

Music during the service will include “In the Garden,” “How Great Thou Art,” “Nearer, My God to Thee,” and “Blessed Assurance,” with congregational hymns accompanied by pianist Rosemary Cameron and vocal solos by Mason Stahly.

Interment will follow in the Westside Cemetery, with pallbearers including Tom Hawley, Russ Hawley, Theodore Hawley, Teddy Hawley, Jace Hawley, Bill Schultz, Doug Stahly, and Tim Bell. Honorary pallbearers are Jerod Bentor, Tom Berg, Al Kock, Gerry Kock, Chris Peterson, Jerry Pieper, Craig Ragaller, Steve Schmitz, Larry Siebert, Jeremy Smith, Austin Stoelk, Jeff Vetter, Steve Wieland and Matt Wilken.

Dan, the son of Joyce and the late Kenneth Kock of Vail, was born December 14, 1961, in Carroll. He attended Ar-We-Va schools, graduating with the class of 1980.

He was active in all sports, earning all-conference honors in football, basketball, and baseball and qualifying for the State Track Meet in the shot put and discus. He went on to play football for four years at Buena Vista College, where he majored in math and computer science.

After earning his degree, he worked in several computer-related positions, and software development was one of his loves. He worked for Texas Instruments in Dallas, Meredith Corporation in Des Moines, Deflecta-Shield in Indianola, and PCS in Denison, before earning his teaching certificate and teaching and coaching at Charter Oak-Ute and then, for the past 10 years, at Ar-We-Va, with a variety of positions at both the middle school and high school levels.

Dan was married to LeAnn Leiting on June 1, 1984, and they were the parents of three children – Jocelyn, Danielle and Alexander. They later divorced but worked together amicably to support the kids in all their endeavors. His kids were his top priority; he never missed a sports contest near or far and was only a phone call away if they needed help of any kind with a homework assignment or any other challenge over the years.

On May 7, 2022, he assumed the title “Papa” when Baby Rollie came into the world, and trips to Omaha for visits were the highlights of his schedule.

Dan also loved the Dallas Cowboys, the Iowa State Cyclones, and the Ar-We-Va Rockets. He enjoyed playing euchre or other card games, golfing, telling “dad jokes,” collecting comic books, watching science fiction and fantasy TV shows and movies, demonstrating his expertise at trivia, playing board games, sitting for hours at his mom’s kitchen table doing crossword puzzles, and rehashing basketball games which took place with his Hawley cousins nearly 50 years ago!

He loved family get-togethers, especially the annual Bell Reunion, and took over for his dad in organizing the Bell Shoot that weekend each year.

He was a member of the United Church Westside, where he served on the church council; was a board member of the Ar-We-Va Rocket Booster Club; organized the Ar-We-Va Golf Outing every year since its inception; was a past assistant coach and the current PA announcer for the Rocket football team; was a past member of the Ar-We-Va School Board; and was a member of the Westside Sesquicentennial Committee in 2019.

Among those preceding him in death were his brother Davey, in 2012, and his dad, Kenneth, in 2021, as well as three uncles, Ted Hawley, Paul Aylward and Ron Berg, and two aunts, Jeanne Hawley and Lorna Berg.

He is survived by his children – Jocelyn and her husband Garrett Shaal and their son Roland of Omaha, Neb.; Danielle Kock of Des Moines; and Alex Kock of Arcadia; his mother, Joyce Kock, of Vail; sister-in-law Janine Kock of Westside; Aunt Mary Aylward of Huron, S.D., Uncle and Aunt Ron and Julie Kock of Carroll, and a long list of cousins, nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews.