Dean Folkers

Dean Folkers, age 72 of Alta Vista, Iowa died from a heart attack Friday, September 18, 2020, at MercyOne in Mason City. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, September 25, 2020, at St. Bernard's Catholic Church, Alta Vista with Rev. Jerry Kopacek celebrating the Mass. Social distancing practices and face masks are recommended. Please refrain from using scented lotions and perfumes due to allergies. People are also welcome to join the service via Facebook Live at 10:30 a.m. on Friday. Interment will be held in Calvary Cemetery, Alta Vista with Craig Crooks, Steve Gebel, Tom Recker, Dan Mahoney, Roger Meirick, and Gary Halvorson serving as pallbearers. Friends may greet the family from 4:00 - 7:00 p.m. Thursday, September 24, 2020, at Hugeback - Johnson Funeral Home & Crematory in New Hampton where there will be a 7:00 p.m. parish scripture service. Visitation continues an hour prior to the service at the church in Alta Vista on Friday. Dean Joseph Folkers was born on March 19, 1948, to Eldon and Lenora (Kobliska) Folkers at the hospital in Elma, Iowa. He was the sixth of eight children, and he attended St. Williams Catholic School, where he was a member of the final graduating Class of 1966. Dean will always be remembered as “Mr. Alta Vista.” He loved his community and served it with dedication and distinction, as he always tried to make it a better place to live. He lived his entire life in Alta Vista and was still an active member of the Alta Vista Volunteer Fire Department, which has included over 51 years. Other involvements included: EMT for Chickasaw Ambulance Service, Chickasaw County Rescue Squad, Alta Vista Jaycees, and Alta Vista Commercial Club. He served on the Alta Vista City Council, St. Bernard’s Parish Council, and was a religion teacher. He was a Boy Scout Troop 48 leader and attended many troop events with his sons. He spent most of his life as a meat cutter and grocer. He demonstrated to several customers how to cut a whole chicken in a mere 13 seconds. He often said he could never retire from work because it was just a hobby to him. For many years Dean was the most eligible bachelor in Alta Vista and Wanda Kolbet was elated that she was the lucky one that landed him. He was her world and they supported each other in everything they did. The couple exchanged vows on July 17, 1982, where Dean pulled her down the street in a little red wagon to start their life together. They maintained a humorous relationship throughout their marriage. They had two children — Andy and Mark —and those two boys grew up with a father who gave them his undivided attention. He drove them to all their events and practices and just simply loved being a part of their lives. He began working at Charlie’s Cash Grocery in Alta Vista at 16, and in 1989, he purchased the store and renamed it D&W Grocery. He also worked at the Alta Vista gas station and was a meat cutter at Elma Locker and Grocery before leaving to explore more hobbies, especially painting. It turned out that he had a gift for painting. He usually did it with a roller in one hand and a paintbrush in the other and he told everyone, “I don’t like to paint, I LOVE TO PAINT.” In his younger days, he loved playing ball with the Alta Vista softball teams. Dean enjoyed golfing, fishing, watching birds, eagles, doing yard work, painting, cooking, baking, (especially brownies and banana bars) and just enjoying nature. But, the best days for Dean were the ones when he was doing those things with Wanda, Andy, Mark, Danielle, the grandkids and other family members. For 42 years, Dean was the man who shared his wit and wisdom on the sign that was located at Alta Vista’s “four corners,” and his sons honored him on that sign this week after his passing. Alta Vista will probably never see someone like Dean again. He was a unique individual who did so much to make his hometown a better, more prosperous, and safer place. The suddenness of his loss is difficult for those who loved him as a family member and those hundreds of friends whose lives he touched, but they are comforted by the fact that he left his little corner of the world in better shape than he found it. Dean is survived by his wife, Wanda Folkers of Alta Vista, IA; two sons, Andy (Danielle) Folkers of Laporte, MN, Mark (April Gravador) Folkers of Royal Air Force Base, Croughton, England; two grandchildren, Roland and Nolan Folkers of Laporte, MN; sister, Janette Underwood of Waterloo, IA; two brothers, Dennis (Barb) Folkers of Oelwein, IA; Doug (Sara) Folkers of Alta Vista, IA; brother-in-law, Edward Stepan of West Union, IA; mother-in-law, Donna Kolbet of Osage, IA; brother-in-law, Alan Kolbet of Alta Vista, IA; three sisters-in-law, Janet Hennigar of Dumont, IA, Sheila (Doug) Moritz of Osage, IA, Carmela (Loren) Slick of New Hampton, IA; along with hundreds of friends and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; four sisters, two in infancy, Audrey Fries, Mary Ann Stepan; brother-in-law, Claude Underwood; father-in-law, Louis Kolbet; sister-in-law, Sue Kolbet; several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed towards Audubon Bird Society 225 Varick St New York, NY 10014 or Cancer Research Institute 29 Broadway, Floor 4b New York, NY 10006-3111.