- Date Of Birth: April 3, 1928
- Date Of Death: November 18, 2020
- State: Iowa
Frank L. Mader, the son of Franz Xavior and Lillian (Hagen) Mader, was born April 3, 1928 in Dedham, Iowa. Frank’s life began in the humblest way possible. He was the youngest of six siblings and lost his father when he was only 16 days old. Due to the Great Depression and hard times, the family was split up. Being an infant, he was allowed to stay with his mother, living at the county home near Carroll, Iowa. Frank received his education in Dedham and Willey, Iowa. Occasionally he was able to reconnect with his four brothers and sister to maintain a solid family relationship.
At the age of 14, Frank was taken in by a farmer and worked as a farm hand near Willey. The work was hard and the days were long, but he learned about agriculture, first hand in the hills of Carroll County. While there, he met the love of his life, the neighbor’s hired girl, Doris Steffes. They were married in 1950 at Holy Angels Catholic Church in Roselle, Iowa, and began their life together. While continuing to work as a farm hand, they started a family, living in the town of Willey. In 1957, Frank had the opportunity to make the dream of having his own farm a reality. He moved with Doris and their four children to the farm they purchased near West Bend, Iowa. He was thrilled to farm the rich, flat soil of Palo Alto County. A large part of his success was due to the fact that he could fix any piece of farm equipment and was a skilled carpenter.
Frank and Doris grew their family to 11 children and raised them on that farm until their retirement in 1993. As a dad, Frank taught his children how to work, play and introduced them to the joy of black licorice. He gave his children a strong work ethic and passed on the “fix it” gene, encouraging all of his children to be self sufficient. He was a mechanical genius and shared his skills, a pliers and pocketknife always at hand. Above all, he stood by his faith like a pillar and passed that deep faith onto his children. In retirement, Frank relished his free time, spending much of it with his children and grandchildren. He was very generous with his time and enjoyed helping people, whether it be a welding project or tilling a neighbor’s garden. He liked to go fishing and rode the party bus at family weddings. Frank spent many winter evenings cracking pecans and walnuts. He looked forward to giving bags of them away to family, friends and neighbors. He was a master popcorn maker, using a simple stove top pan. Often times, his visitors were treated to a fresh pan of hot buttered popcorn. He had a special ability to build relationships with everyone, young and old. He was a true “People Collector.” There was a new friend in everyone he met. Frank’s life was a blessing. His memory is a treasure. He is loved beyond measure and he will be missed by all of us.
Survivors include his children: David (Joyce) of Cedar Falls, IA, Bill (Michelle) of Fort Dodge, IA, Marlene (Tom) Sievers of Storm Lake, IA, Milly (Pat) Madsen of West Bend, IA, Thomas (Christy) of West Bend, IA, Richard (Julie) of Mt. Vernon, IN, Jane Kassel of Phoenix, AZ, Ron (Mary) of Mallard, IA, Ann (Matt) Wittrock of Humboldt, IA, and Donna (Perry) Brown of Belmond, IA, son-in-law Michael Kohlhaas (Mary) of West Bend, IA; 39 grandchildren, 31 great grandchildren and his brother John of Dallas, Texas. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Doris in 2009, daughter Diane Kohlhaas, granddaughter Rebecca, great granddaughter Amara and his siblings: Augie, Paul, George and Frances.
