Joel D. Owen

1959 - 2013

Funeral services for Joel D. Owen, 53, were held at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30, 2013 at Zion Lutheran Church in Arcadia with Pastor Ben Dose officiating.  Organist for the service was Rebecca Dose.  Casket bearers were Ryan Schurke, Mark Schurke, Jeremy Ehlers, Doug Ehlers, Jason Owen, Tom Thompson, Ryan Thompson, and Paul Ehlers.  Burial was in the Arcadia Cemetery.  Funeral arrangements were under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll.
Joel D. Owen, was born on Sept, 6, 1959 at Audubon, the son of Dudley and Jonell (Reising) Owen and passed away on Friday, July 26, 2013 at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.
He grew up on his family's farm near Audubon and graduated from Audubon High School with the class of 1978.  Following high school he attended and graduated from Western Iowa Tech in Sioux City and then earned his bachelor's degree at Northwest Missouri State.  He taught agriculture and FFA at Haliday, N. D. for two years.   Joel then earned his Master's degree in Agriculture Education at Northwest Missouri State.  He then worked for the federal government as an FMHA loan officer before going to work for Farmer's Savings Bank in Halbur in 1987, which later became Westside State Bank.  He was married to Deb Ehlers on May 28, 1994 at Zion Lutheran Church in Arcadia by Pastor Steven Stork.  Joel and Deb made their home in Arcadia where he was very active in the community.  He had served on the Arcadia City Council, the Arcadia and Halbur First Responders, and as the Mayor of Arcadia.  Joel enjoyed fishing, reading, history, watching the Chicago Cubs, and being with his family and friends.  He announced many of the Ar-We-Va football and baseball games and was known as the "Voice of the Rockets." He was a member of Zion Lutheran Church in Arcadia.
    Joel was preceded in death by his maternal and paternal grandparents and his mother-in-law Dort Ehlers.
Joel is survived by his wife Deb of Arcadia; his three children: Spencer, Marshall, and Madison all at home; his parents Dudley and Jonell of rural Audubon; his father-in-law Wilbert Ehlers and his wife Carolyn of Carroll; two brothers: Kent Owen and his wife Vicky of Windside, Neb., and Wesley Owen and his wife Sheri of Geneva, Ill.; a sister Deborah Thompson and her husband Rodney of O'Fallon, Ill.; four sisters-in-law: Diane Shurke and her husband Mark of Vail, Darlys Berg and her husband Tom of Owatonna, Minn. Denise Ragaller and her husband Mark of Vail, and Donna Shurke  and her husband Darin of Arcadia; two brothers-in-law: Doug Ehlers and his wife Alison of Westside, and Dwight Ehlers and his wife Melissa of Arcadia; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. 
and online condolences may be left for Joel's family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com