Donald Ray Casteel

Donald R. "Don" Casteel, 90, of Dubuque and formerly of Maquoketa, Iowa, died on Friday, November 25, 2011, at Luther Manor in Dubuque, Iowa. A celebration of Don's life will be held at 10 A.M., Friday, December 2, 2011, from the First United Methodist Church in Maquoketa, Iowa. Visitation will be held from 3 to 7 P.M. on Thursday, December 1, 2011, at the Carson & Son Funeral And Cremation Services in Maquoketa. Burial will be in the Harmony Cemetery, Zwingle, Iowa, with military honors. Donald Ray Casteel was born on January 26, 1921 in rural Zwingle, Iowa, to Ray Archie and Florence Bernice (Mills) Casteel. He was a 1938 graduate of Zwingle High School and attended Maquoketa Junior College until 1942 when he entered the military serving in World War II in the Army Air Force until his honorable discharge in 1946. He married Ruth Maxine Ihrig on February 15, 1944 in Zwingle, Iowa. Don had worked as a carpenter between graduating from high school and Junior College. Following his honorable discharge he returned to Jackson County where he farmed for many years and in later years worked as a coordinator for Concerted Services for Training and Education (CSTE) and as a cons...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

ant for the Iowa Farm Business Association. Don was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Maquoketa and had done church work all of his life, teaching Sunday school for over 45 years. He also was a member of the Iowa and National Farm Bureau Association, Older Iowa Legislature for several years, and previously served on the board of directors for the Jackson County Social Welfare Board, Jackson County Public Hospital Board, inaugural board member of the Sunshine Daycare and Pre-School, East Central Intergovernmental Association Board, and the Andrew Jackson Demonstration Board. Through the years Don had received numerous awards including, Maquoketa Junior College Versatility Award in 1942, MVP for the Maquoketa Junior College Basketball Team in 1942, inducted into the Jackson County Cattleman Hall of Fame in 1986 and in 1991 was recognized as the Iowa Farmer of the Year. He had also received several local and state Conservation awards as well including the Federal Land Bank Golden Anniversary Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Agriculture from 1917 to 1967. Don is survived by his wife, Ruth Casteel of Dubuque, IA; children, Carol (Richard) Nissen of Prior Lake, MN, Connie (Dennis) Wilcox of Baldwin, IA, and Cathy (Charlie) Easterly of Maquoketa, IA; 9 grandchildren and 21 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, and a sister, Hazel Shady. In lieu of other expressions of sympathy, a Donald R. Casteel memorial fund has been established. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.CarsonAndSon.com.