David Campbell

David (Dave) Leroy Campbell, 71, Saylor Township, died Feb. 23, 2021, at MercyOne Des Moines Medical Center.

Dave was born Nov. 14, 1949, in Boone, Iowa, to Earl and Ramona (Westrum) Campbell. He grew up in Stratford, Stanhope and Eldora, Iowa. He moved to Des Moines at age 15, graduated from Saydel High School in 1968 and began working at John Deere Des Moines Works in Ankeny. He retired after 30 years. He and his first wife Marcia were parents to three children.

He married Anita (Gunnerson) Campbell on Oct, 31, 1999, and they lived in Saylor Township until his death. Family was Dave’s top priority. He was a devoted husband, father, grandpa, and great-grandpa. He was a kind, generous man, and one of the joys of his life was being a Santa “stand-in.” He even grew a beard to fit the role and had a twinkle in his eyes.

Dave served in the U.S. Army for three years, after which he joined the Iowa National Guard. He retired in 1994 after 26 years of military service with the rank of Lt. Colonel. He served as the elected Clerk of Saylor Township for two terms and as a District Rep. for U.S. Congressman Leonard Boswell for seven years. He was an active veteran and retired as the clubroom manager of V.F.W. Post 9662 in Sept. 2017.

He was very active in Alcoholics Anonymous, sober since Sept. 5, 1988. He made many lifelong friends through AA, and helped several embrace sobriety as he did. His Catholic faith was very important to him, and he belonged to the 4th degree of the Knights of Columbus Council 5038. He was a member of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Ankeny.

Survivors include his loving wife Anita; his three children, Julia McGuire, Mark and Maria Campbell, Sara and Will Figgins; his stepchildren, Sara and Rob Prehm, Jeff Gunnerson, Scott Gunnerson and Alissa; 13 grandchildren; 5 great-grandchildren (with one on the way); father, Earl Campbell; and brothers, Richard Campbell and Jim (Cheri) Campbell.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Ramona Campbell.

Visitation will be Sun., Feb. 28, from 3:00-5:00 p.m., with a prayer service held at 5:00 p.m., at Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart Catholic Church, 510 E. 1st St, Ankeny, IA 50021. Masks and social distancing will be expected.

A private family funeral will be livestreamed at 10:30 a.m. on Monday, March 1. The live stream link for both the prayer service and funeral service can be found at www.olih.org. Burial of the cremains at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to V.F.W. Post 9662, OLIH Knights of Columbus Council 5038 Community Development, or Iowa Catholic Radio.

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