Ralph Darrow
January 19, 2018

Ralph "Jack" Darrow, age 95, of Albert City, Iowa, died Saturday, January 20, 2018, at the Pleasant View Home in Albert City.Memorial services will be held on will be held Saturday, January 27, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in rural Albert City. Burial will be at a later date in the St. John Lutheran Cemetery, rural Albert City.  Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service at the church. The Sliefert Funeral Home of Albert City is in charge of arrangements.Ralph Erwin (Jack) Darrow Jr. was born on October 9, 1922 in Edgemont, South Dakota. Soon after, his family moved to Crawford, Nebraska, then to Ravenna, Nebraska, where he started school. They later moved to Colby, Kansas and then back to Ravenna, where he graduated from high school in 1940.After he graduated, the family moved to Alta and then Storm Lake, where he worked for Consumer Supply. He enlisted in the army reserve in 1942. He was sent to radio repair school, radar training, and radar repair school. In 1943 he was called up to active duty and was assigned to 730th Signal Air Warning Co. 1st Platoon. He was sent to India, then China and after the war ended, back to India. In 1946, he was discharged.He attended Buena Vista College for one semester and then left Iowa for a job at Lockheed in California, where he worked for 6 months. He came back to Storm Lake and got a job at Clough Auto Parts for 10 years. While in the hospital for a hernia surgery, he met the love of his life, nurse Dorothy Ann Thieman. They were married October 24, 1952. They were blessed with 2 boys, Scott Erwin and Kirk Warren. They moved to the Thieman family farm in rural Albert City in 1956.Jack farmed and worked for the post office for 20 years. He was postmaster in Marathon for 12 years. After retiring, Jack and Dorothy moved to their lake home on Star Lake in Minnesota for 7 years. They moved back to Albert City to be closer to their grandchildren, Morgan and Spencer Darrow. They spent much of their free time going to their activities. They especially enjoyed watching Morgan pitch softball and Spencer's musical talent.Jack was a long time member of St John Lutheran Church, rural Albert City, where he held many offices. He was a member of the American Legion and the Elks Lodge. He also served as a school board member of the Albert City-Truesdale school board.He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Zelda (Brown) Darrow, sisters, Delores Darrow Phillips and Betty Darrow Miller, sister-in-law, Mary Lou Thieman Wenger, brother-in-law, William Thieman, and his beloved wife of 53 years, Dorothy.He is survived by his sons, Scott (Lori) Darrow and Kirk Darrow, and his grandchildren Morgan (Phillip) Miller and Spencer Darrow, brothers-in-law, William (Bud) Phillips, Marvin Miller, and Paul Wenger and many nieces and nephews.   

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