Joseph Duane Biegger

Joseph Duane Biegger, 90, loving husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away on November 23, 2023 at Kennybrook Village in Grimes.

Duane was born on December 19, 1932 in Winfred, South Dakota to John and Agnes Biegger. He spent time in Sioux Falls before moving to Des Moines and attending Dowling Catholic High School where he met Margaret Ann Leonhardt. They married in 1952 and moved to Colorado Springs before Duane was sent overseas during the Korean War. Upon his return, they settled in Des Moines where they raised five sons. Duane spent the majority of his career working for Gibbs Cook equipment company, selling Caterpillar equipment across the central Iowa region.

While Duane had many passions, his greatest love was for his family and his faith. He and Margaret were married for 68 years before her passing in 2020. Together they had five sons; John (Debbi), Brian (Kim), David (Beth), Mark (Mary) and Mike (Colleen) along with 17 grandchildren and 16 (and counting) great-grandchildren to whom he was known as “Papa”. They were long time parishioners of St. Theresa’s and later St. Francis of Assisi Parish. They were also strong supporters of Dowling Catholic High School where three generations of their family have attended.

Beyond Duane’s love for his family and faith, he was a passionate life-long Chicago Cubs fan who relished the Cubs World Series championship in 2016. He was also an avid golfer who enjoyed countless rounds with Margaret, his sons, grandchildren and friends. He and Margaret were blessed to travel extensively to visit their family living across the United States as well as Mexico and England.

Duane was the most positive and happy person you can imagine. He always seemed to find the good in every situation and passed along that positivity to everyone he met. One of his favorite expressions was to say “Good Doer!!” to his grandchildren for any positive news they shared. It always brought a smile to experience his unbridled joy and enthusiasm over even the smallest of accomplishments.

Duane is preceded in death by his loving wife Margaret, his parents, John and Agnes, and his brothers Jack and Bill. He is survived by his sisters Darlene (DonMoyer) and Dorothy (Seamands), as well as all of his sons, daughters-in-law, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will take place on Saturday, December 9 at 11:00am at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church, 7075 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines, Iowa. Family will greet guests at 9:30am prior to services at the church. Burial will take place Monday, December 11, at 11:00am at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel, Iowa.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com. Memorials can be directed to Dowling Catholic High School.

Finally, Duane’s family would like to thank the staff at Kennybrook Village as well as the staff at DaVita Kidney Care and Iowa Kidney Physicians for their love and care of Duane. He was blessed to be in the care of such dedicated and loving healthcare providers.

Please click the link below to watch his funeral service via livestreaming:

https://youtube.com/live/-z75EAE1oYM

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