Daniel Lee Caffrey

Daniel Lee Caffrey passed away unexpectedly in his sleep on Sunday, August 24th, 2025. He was born on January 16th, 1956 in Des Moines, Iowa to Jim and Jane (Lowrey) Caffrey. Dan grew up on the south side of Des Moines with his siblings Pat, Mike, and Anne. He had a tight knit group of friends growing up and shared many stories over the years of fun, and some mischief, that they had. Throughout his younger years he had a newspaper route, worked at Babe's as a bus boy, and worked at Sec Taylor Stadium as a groundskeeper. Dan attended St. Anthony's School and graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in 1974.

After high school, Dan attended DMACC to study as a draftsman. One of his first jobs out of college was designing pig farrowing huts in Granger, Iowa. He later started working at HOME Inc. in Des Moines, Iowa rebuilding homes and later as the property manager in constructing new homes. Dan spent 40 years at HOME Inc before retiring in 2021. In that time, he was a part of helping hundreds of families in finding affordable housing. Dan was proud of his work at HOME Inc and built life-long friendships with his coworkers. He was always one of the first to the office and started his day with coffee and the crossword puzzle.

In August 1987, Dan married his love, Pam Wilhelm. They lived in Dan's childhood home on the south side of Des Moines until 2004 when they moved to Indianola. Dan and Pam met on a blind date through a mutual friend. Together they raised two daughters, Kaitlyn and Kirsten. Dan was a caring husband and the perfect girl-dad. With two daughters, he never judged and was always there for support. He was a constant calming force in his family's lives and was always willing to listen. There was no problem that Dad couldn't work through and nothing that he couldn't fix.

One of Dan's many accomplishments was the building of his family's home. He not only drafted the plans for the home, but also built most of it with his own hands over the course of a year. Dan had so much pride in his home and land. He would always say, "It looks like a park!". Dan enjoyed sharing his home's beauty with his family. Dan and Pam hosted the family reunions every year and frequently had the grandkids over to visit. He was happy to sit out in the driveway to watch the kids play and catch up with his family.

Dan will undoubtedly be missed by all those who met him. His calm and comforting presence was a gift that so many were privileged to be around. Knowing Dan, he would want his friends and family to remember the happy memories they had with him and share the stories that keep his essence present with us.

Dan is survived by his wife of 38 years, Pamela Caffrey, his daughters, Kaitlyn (Kris) Thompson and Kirsten (David) Ferguson, his grandchildren, Leander, Noelle, George, and Walter, his brother, Pat (Linda) Caffrey, his sister, Anne (Doug) Stumpf, and many nieces and nephews. Dan was preceded in death by his parents, Jim and Jane Caffrey and his brother, Mike Caffrey.

Services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, August 28, 2025 at Overton Funeral Home. The family will greet friends from 9 to 11 a.m. prior to the service. Memorials in memory of Dan may given to the family for a memorial to be decided at a later date.