Lowell Dean Morgan

Obituary For Lowell Dean Morgan

Lowell Dean Morgan, 92, of Ankeny passed away peacefully at the Sunny View Care Center, July 29, 2026. After cremation, his remains will be interred at Glenwood Cemetery in Ogden, Iowa, later this month at a private graveside service.

Lowell was born on May 14, 1934, on a small farm just north of Ogden to Alfred and Lillian Morgan. He attended Ogden Community High School, where he enjoyed playing sports, and was a starter on the first boys basketball team from Ogden to advance to the state tournament, in 1952. After graduating later that year, he began farming with his brother Bob. The following year, on June 5, Lowell married his high-school sweetheart, Rosella Hasstedt, and the couple moved to a farm of their own a half mile west of his parents’ farm.

By 1968, Lowell began selling farm equipment from a desk on the porch of the family’s little farm house. Business was good and grew steadily as he took on more lines of equipment. By 1972, the family—now with a teenager and two younger kids—moved to the larger Hasstedt family farm where Rosella grew up, three miles west of town. There, they greatly expanded the business, building office and shop facilities and at times employing eight or more full-time sales and service personnel.

The 1970s were boom years for the Iowa farm economy and Morgan Farm Equipment afforded a lot of perks for Lowell and family, not least of which were more than 20 domestic and international trips awarded for high sales volume. Lowell and Rosella traveled once or twice a year from 1971 to 1985, sometimes with one or more of the kids along, to places such as Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Switzerland, and the Dominican Republic.

Back in Iowa, Lowell enjoyed spending summer weekends entertaining family and friends at his Twin Lakes home, a few miles north of Rockwell City, IA. The family spent the time grilling, golfing, boating, and water skiing—a great retreat from the after-hours phone calls and pressures of running a small business.

By 1985, the kids had graduated and grown, and the economy in Iowa had become a lot more challenging for farmers. Lowell decided to close his equipment business and go to work for a service organization within the Lutheran church, where he spent several years doing economic development work through gifting and estate planning. But farm implement sales were in his blood, apparently, and by the early 90s he was back at it, this time selling for the local Case-IH dealer in Ogden.

Amidst the rains of 1993, Lowell and Rosella built a home in Ogden, and despite a bit of foundation flooding, moved from the farm. With four of their eventual seven grandchildren already born, this is the house the next generation will always remember for the Christmases, family dinners, and many overnights with Grandpa and Grandma.

Traveling had also made its way into Lowell’s blood, and the couple continued to vacation with family and close friends in Europe, Canada, and around the U.S., eventually focusing on annual extended stays in Gulf Shores and nearby areas in Alabama and Florida.

Just before Christmas in 2014, a fall at home left Rosella with broken ribs and collar bone. While the injuries themselves were not serious, the trauma accelerated what had been up to that time the slow progression of Parkinson’s disease. The following spring, they sold their home in Ogden and moved to an apartment in an Ankeny retirement center. It wasn’t long before Rosella’s condition required long-term care, and Lowell was left living alone for the first time. But his devotion to his wife never wavered, and he spent time with her nearly every day for the next two years, until her death in November 2017.

Lowell spent his remaining years living in Ankeny, near two of his kids’ families, traveling a few more times to Florida for shorter escapes from the winter cold. He got involved in his condo community, serving on the association board and becoming its president. He loved playing cards, as he and Rosella had for so many years. Having been very active in his Lutheran church in Ogden since youth, Lowell found a new church in Ankeny and continued attending as long as he was able. Faith and family were always central in Lowell’s life and remained so to the end.

Lowell is survived by his son, David (Larissa) Morgan; his daughter, Linda (Mike) Phipps; his son, Phillip (Kris) Morgan; grandchildren, Megan (Troy) Cappel, Ashley (Abby Nowlin) Morgan, Mallory (Cody) Bunkers, Benjamin (Cailey) Morgan, Peter Morgan, Natalie Morgan, and Tessa Morgan; six great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews, and other loving family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Rosella Morgan; parents, Alfred and Lillian Morgan; and his brother and sister-in-law, Alfred “Bob” and Shirley Morgan.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Sunny View Care Center and St. Croix Hospice for their exceptional care for Lowell during his final days.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Sunny View Care Center, 410 NW Ash Drive, Ankeny, IA 50023; or to St. Croix Hospice, 1555 SE Delaware Avenue, Suite Q, Ankeny, IA 50021.

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