Wallace Deters

Wallace Wayne “Wally” Deters, 81 of Wellsburg, Iowa, passed away on Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at Taylor House Hospice in Des Moines, Iowa. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at the United Reformed Church in Wellsburg. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral service at the church. Burial will follow at Shiloh Cemetery in Wellsburg. The family wishes for memorials in Wally’s name to be directed to the Iowa Barn Foundation. Wally was disheartened to see so many barns having been destroyed over time, thus changing the landscape of rural Iowa. IBF provides property owners with matching grants to help restore qualified barns. Wally cherished his time as a youth spent in his family’s barns, something he believed told an important story about Iowa’s rural heritage.

Wally was born on January 16, 1939 in Eldora, Iowa to his parents William and Nellie (Ackerman) Deters. He was raised in rural Wellsburg and graduated from Wellsburg High School in the class of 1957. After high school he served in the United States Army Reserves. Wally was married to Darla Meyer and together they welcomed two daughters into their family. They later divorced.

In his younger years Wally worked as a carpenter; he then went on to work for Snittjer Grain in Wellsburg for almost 30 years. He also did custom farming for local farmers.

As a young man Wally was very active in the 4-H Club as well as the FFA Chapter. In his earlier days Wally also loved to compete in tractor pull competitions. He was always an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan, and was a season ticket holder for many years. He was well known in town for his large garden and he enjoyed being able to share the fruits of his labor with his friends and family. Wally enjoyed going to tractor shows and even began collecting antique tractors, of which he had a small collection started. One event Wally cherished was participating, with his Oliver 70 tractor, in the WHO Radio Great Iowa Tractor Ride. He participated in this event for nearly 20 years and loved being able to do it with his good friends. Wally enjoyed sharing his hobbies with his grandchildren and passing on family history through his wonderful stories and recollections from his childhood. He will be missed and long remembered by his friends and family.

Wally is survived by his daughters Mindy (Jonathan) Paulson of West Des Moines, Iowa, Amy (David) Eskov of Olathe, Kansas; grandchildren Noah, Lauryn, Ethan and Ava; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Rodney Deters and Ronald Deters; and sister Mildred Knutson.