Dave Ostrem

Dave Ostrem, 90, passed away peacefully of natural causes at Arbor Springs of West Des Moines on October 4, 2021.

He was preceded in death by Mary Ann, his wife of 51 years, their daughter Elizabeth, his parents Tom O. and Ingeborg A. (Pederson) Ostrem, his brother Orval Ostrem and sisters, Inez Spragg and Evelyn Curtiss. He is survived by his 4 children, Lynn (Mark) Ostrem of Minneapolis, MN, Dave Ostrem, Jr. of West Des Moines, Adam (Lynn) Ostrem of Ellston, IA, and Matthew (Misty) Ostrem of St. Louis, MO, along with his grandchildren, Ben, Abby, Zachary, Alex, Elizabeth, and Luke.

Dave was born on September 27, 1931 to immigrants from Saude, Norway. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1949, and attended Drake University while working in the automotive industry. He went on to graduate from General Motors Institute of Technology (GMIT) in Flint, MI with degrees in Business and Management. With the support of his employer and mentor, Paul Manning Chevrolet (now known as Bob Brown Chevrolet), Dave started Dave Ostrem Imports in January of 1958 with the desire to bring the marketing of foreign automobiles to the state of Iowa. Over the years, he traveled to Europe bringing back franchises in Skoka (French), Panhard (Czechoslovakian), Volvo (Swedish), Saab (Swedish), Triumph (British), Jaguar (British), Borgward (German), Amphicar (German), Peugeot (French), Renault (French), DKW (German), MG (British), Mercedes-Benz (German) and BMW (German). Eventually, he expanded his business to Mitsubishi in the West Des Moines suburbs, and a full line GM dealership in Perry, Iowa.

Dave retired in 1999 after 41 years in business, and he and Mary Ann spent many years indulging their passion for world travel. They eventually moved to Naples, Florida. In 2018, Dave moved back to West Des Moines where he spent his remaining years.

Dave was extremely civic-minded. After serving in the Iowa National Guard for 9 years, he devoted himself to improving his industry by founding or serving on numerous automotive industry governing boards, including the National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) from 1960-1985; the American Imported Automobile Dealers Association (AIADA) and the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association (IADA) from 1960-1986. On the latter, he served as President, Vice President, Insurance Trustee, AUTOCAP panelist, Credit Life Insurance board, Legislative Committee, Building Committee and on their By-Laws Task Force.

He was responsible for founding and serving on several dealer council boards around the country for Volvo, Saab, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW, as well as the Iowa Sports Car Club of Iowa and as co-founder of the Iowa Chapter of the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). Dave loved racing cars at the Greenwood Raceway (Warren County) in the 1960s. But as his young family grew, and at Mary Ann’s urging, he traded racing for the less dangerous game of golf, for which he became equally passionate.

Dave achieved some prestigious awards in the automobile industry such as the Midwest Triumph Service Award of Excellence in 1965, Volvo Service Award of Excellence in 1974, National Automobile Dealers Association Award for Distinguished Achievement in 1978, Iowa Automobile Dealers Association Award for Appreciation to Fellow Dealers in 1981, and the prestigious nationwide Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award in 1986.

He was actively involved in the community, as well. First came the Junior Chamber Commerce in 1960, after which, he sat and chaired on committees for the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the board for the Des Moines Better Business Bureau, Des Moines Planning and Zoning Council, Des Moines Park Board, President of the Rotary Club of Des Moines and served on Governor Ray’s Task Force on Ethanol Marketing, including Aviation, Small Business, Legislative and Downtown Development. Dave also liked being involved in the sports arena, serving in various capacities such as the Des Moines Golf & Country Club (member from 1961 until his death), Des Moines Breakfast Club, Embassy Club, Drake University Athletic Club, the University of Iowa Hawkeye Club, the Iowa State University Cyclone Club, Ducks Unlimited, the Des Moines Navy League, the Acanthus Masonic Lodge #632 (recognized as a 50-year Mason member), a ZaGaZig Shriner, and a member of the Royal Order of Jesters-Des Moines Court #46.

Dave led and served fund raising efforts for worthy causes such as Blank Memorial Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, Cerebral Palsy, American Cancer Society, YMCA, Salvation Army, Multiple Sclerosis, Boys Town of Omaha, March of Dimes, United Way, Shriner’s Hospital for Children, and Our Primary Purpose.

The family will hold a private burial service, but due to an uptick in Covid-related cases, there will be no memorial service at this time. In lieu of flowers, it was Dave’s request that donations be made to Blank Children’s Hospital, 1415 Woodland Av. Suite #E200, Des Moines, Iowa 50309, or online at unitypoint.org/blankchildrens/donate.

The family would like to thank the caregivers and staff at Arbor Springs of West Des Moines for all their efforts in making his final days comfortable and peaceful.

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