Dale E. Brand, age 90, formerly of Clarion, passed away on Saturday, July 31,
2004, at Arbor Springs, a care facility in West Des Moines, Iowa.
Services will be held at 10:30AM Thursday, August 5, 2004 at St. John's Catholic
Church, 608 2nd Ave NE, in Clarion with Father David Beckman officiating.
Interment will be held at St. John's Catholic Cemetery in Clarion.
Visitation will be held from 5:00-8:00PM Wednesday, August 4, 2004 at the Ewing
Dugger Funeral Home, 602 N Main, in Clarion with a prayer service being held at
7:00PM. Viewing will continue one hour prior to services at the church on
Thursday.
Dale was born April 10, 1914, to John and Minnie (Loffler) Brand in Wellsburg,
Iowa. His family moved to Fort Dodge, Iowa, where Dale was raised and graduated
from high school. He received his undergraduate degree at Cornell College and
completed graduate studies at Drake University. In 1946, he married Betty
Kohlhaas of Algona, and together they raised their family of seven children in
Clarion.
Dale was a state champion wrestler for Fort Dodge High School, an outstanding
football player and a 1937 NCAA wrestling champion for Cornell College. He
represented the United States on the 1936 Olympic Wrestling Team. Dale was a
high school social studies teacher and wrestling coach in Clarion for 30 years.
His teams compiled a record of 252-76-5 including 14 conference team
championships and 23 individual state champions. Twenty-two of his former
wrestlers went on to become coaches.
Dale is a member of the Fort Dodge High School Hall of Fame, Cornell College
Sports Hall of Fame, Iowa Athletic Association Coaches Hall of Fame, Iowa High
School Athletic Association Wrestling Hall of Fame, was awarded the National
Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Service to Amateur Wrestling Award and was named
Iowa High School Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1972.
Dale spent four years in the military service during WWII, including combat
service as a medical corpsman with the 3rd Armored Division. He was a
parishioner of St. John's Catholic Church in Clarion and also St. Pius in
Urbandale. Dale was active with the Clarion VFW post (serving as president),
the Boy Scout organization and the community swimming pool where he taught
hundreds of Clarion youth how to swim. In addition, Dale was known by family
and friends as one of the finest "catfishermen" in the state.
Dale is survived by his sons Phil (Becky) Brand of Port Angeles, Washington; Tom
(Kara) Brand of Crockett, California; Bill (Lana) Brand of Marshalltown, Bob
Brand of Ottawa, Kansas, daughter Beth (Bill) Harris of Urbandale, grandchildren
Jason, Jenny, Molly, Tom, Angie, Michael, one great grandson Ryne, and one
brother Darwin of Fort Dodge. Dale was preceded in death by his wife Betty,
sons; Steven and Michael, brothers; John, William, Donald, and one sister
Dalorise.