David Allen Fowler

DAVID FOWLER ALEDO, Illinois - David Allen Fowler, 69, of Aledo, passed away on Saturday, March 9, 2019 in Peoria. A funeral service will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15, 2019 at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. Chaplain Marvin Meservey will officiate. Visitation will be from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday, March 15, 2019 at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Muscatine Ag Learning Center or the Riding for Success Therapeutic Riding Program. David was born on November 20, 1949 in La Harpe, Illinois, the son of Relly and Lois Lionberger Fowler. He was raised on the family farm and attended a one-room school for several years. He was known to boast that he was #2 in his class, before revealing that there were only two students in his grade. He graduated from Nauvoo-Colusa High School, where he served as the FFA Chapter President. David's competitive spirit was apparent from the time he was a young child when, according to his mother, he would hide one piece from the puzzles the family constructed so he could be the person to place the final piece. When playing Monopoly, he hoarded his piles of money in his lap to hide it from the othe...[more]

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layers. As a child he played baseball with his siblings and cousins; all of them against David and his team of imaginary players who were somehow always in the perfect spot to make fantastic plays and win the game. As an adult he played on a men's softball team where his strategy was to hit the ball far enough that he didn't have to run around the bases. He often told the story of hitting a homerun over the scoreboard and insisted that the ball was still flying through the air. As a coach he always stressed the importance of winning fairly. He said, "If they want to win, they have to outwork us". He was a gleeful winner, but never a sore loser. David and his brother, Bill, spent many summers showing their North Country Cheviot sheep at shows across the area. It was at the Illinois State Fair that he met Christel Anderson, who became his wife December 19, 1970. David attended Western Illinois University where he made lifelong friends as a member of the WIU Livestock Judging Team. After graduating he worked in sales, then as a hog buyer for Oscar Mayer before deciding to return to school to earn his teaching certificate. During this time David and Christel welcomed their children, Bonnie and Wes, into the family. After one year of teaching David spent five years in sales in Utah and Iowa. After accepting a position as the Vocational Agriculture instructor and FFA Advisor at Muscatine High School, he used many of those work experiences in his lessons. Over the next 29 years he expanded the Muscatine ag program from 38 students, to more than 300, including both rural and urban students from all backgrounds. He guided them through many projects including reclaiming the pond at the high school, building the FFA greenhouse, and along with a team of ag enthusiasts from the community, coordinating the creation of the Muscatine Ag Learning Center. David always made time to counsel current and former students through any of life's challenges. Fowler family summers were spent raising and showing sheep, attending fairs where David judged, and helping students with livestock projects. He enjoyed each day so much that he never seemed to need a traditional vacation. Last summer he agreed to go with Christel to France, but only if he could tour local farms and livestock operations. David loved to spend time golfing and fishing with his six grandchildren. They will all fondly remember waking up to their granddad singing "Summertime". When they were toddlers he taught them to hold their arms in the air so he could count their ribs, and each time that it tickled so much that they lowered their arms he would have to start all over. He had a gift for choosing animal names and they loved to find out what each new lamb, calf, or barn cat would be called. The grandchildren were always amused when they would meet people across the state who knew their granddad and had a story to share. David retired in 2013 and any day he was asked what he was doing he happily said, "whatever I want". He was honored to continue participating in the Muscatine FFA program, serving on the Ag Learning Center Advisory Board and preparing students for contest right up until the week he became ill. Those left to honor his memory include his wife, Christel, of Aledo; one daughter, Bonnie Butler and husband, Robert, of Tipton, Iowa; one son, Wes Fowler and wife, Jana, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; six grandchildren, Drew, Addison, Davis, and Alaina Butler, and Abigail and Jack Fowler; one brother, Bill Fowler and wife, Barb; and two sisters, Janice Daugherty and husband, Bob, and Carol Leenerts and husband, Dick. David was preceded in death by his parents.