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Obituary For Dale LeRoy Nelson
Dale L. Nelson, beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather passed away on March 1, 2026.
A Celebration of Life will be held from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., with a short service at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 14, 2026, at the Ankeny Country Club (314 SW Irvinedale Dr.). A private burial will take place at a later date.
Dale was born on August 17, 1936, in Atlantic, Iowa. After graduation he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force where he served in the Air Force Security Service. Dale married his high school sweetheart, Peggy Nelson, on September 22, 1956. They settled in Ankeny, Iowa after returning overseas in 1958.
After working for the USDA and John Deere, Dale went to work for the State of Iowa where he became the Director of Information Technology until 1996. During this time, he graduated from Grandview College and Drake University, becoming the first Director of Voter Registration for Iowa. As part of his professional career, Dale was very active in State and National technology organizations.
His first love was always his wife and family, and in later years, his companion Beverly Allen. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, boating, writing poems, woodworking and growing flowers. Some of his greatest pleasures were golfing and playing pitch, poker, and Bridge with friends. Dale worked alongside his wife Peggy as one of the owners of Nelson’s Diamonds for over twenty years. He was a long-time member of the First United Methodist Church in Ankeny, and a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs.
He is survived by his children, Cindy Nelson, Randy Nelson (Barb Corey), and Cheri (Gary) Walljasper; seven grandchildren, Nate (Jaymi) VanderLinden, Caroline (Keenan) Jones, Tylor Nelson, Tiffany (Jake) Johnson, Neko Nelson, Rachel and Sarah Walljasper; four great-grandchildren, Isla, Lennon, Fallyn, and Rennick; his loving companion, Beverly Allen; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Dale was preceded in death by his wife, Peggy; his parents, Laurence and Irene Alice Nelson; his sister and brother-in-law, Vera and James McDermott; his brother and sister-in-law, Robert and Frances Nelson; and his daughter-in-law, Pat Nelson.
In lieu of flowers please donate to Camp Sunnyside in Ankeny, Easter Seals, or your favorite charity.
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Add A CondolenceAs a IBM rep , Dale was always generous with his time and was always a gentleman. A good man, along with his wife Peggy. Sad to hear of his passing..,,
I was fortunate to meet Dale & Peggy through my husband Phil over 30yrs ago when we visited them at their home in Ankeny. What a wonderful evening when they invited the bowling team over to reminisce their times together. What wonderful people they were! After Peg died and then Phil 4 years ago, Dale and I stayed in touch. He gave me great encouragement during my grief. It was such a pleasure to have known this beautiful, caring couple. May God bless your family during this time as you hold your memories close. Nancy Hoffman
We knew Dale from working in Department of General Services for the State of Iowa. Dale was a kind sole and very family oriented including the DGS family. Condolences to his family heaven gained a wonderful angel.
Your family has the deepest sympathy of the loss of your dad, grandpa, great grandpa. I graduated from Atlantic High School in the same year as Dale.. He was in my homeroom and his locker was next to mine all of the years we were at AHS. What a nice fella he was. Really nice. I will always remember him as having a warm smile and such a friendly guy. I know you will miss him very much. Your mom was in Ron's class at AHS. A nice couple. With our sympathy, Ron and Allie Thurman
