Dale Molln, 95, of Greenfield

Funeral Services: Will be held on Friday, June 13, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at the Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield with burial in the Greenfield Cemetery with full military graveside rites conducted by Greenfield American Legion Head-Endres Post No. 265 and V.F.W. Post No. 5357 & Army Military Honor Guard. A luncheon will be held at the Greenfield United Methodist Church following the burial. The Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield is in charge of the professional arrangements. Online condolences may be left to the family at www.lambfuneralhomes.com.

Family Visitation: The family will greet friends on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at the Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m.

Memorials: May be made to the Dale Molln Memorial Fund to be established by the family at a later date.

Dale L Molln was born February 22,1930 in Adair County, Iowa. He was the son of Florence (Roberts) Molln and Isaac Molln. He passed away in his home on June 8, 2025.

Dale was raised in Grand River Township. He attended a one room country school for his early years and then attended and graduated from Greenfield High School. He was the youngest child of three siblings, brother, Roland Dean, and sister, Elberta Jean. He grew up on the family farm, getting strong, learning how to grow crops, raise livestock and work hard.

Dale met his future wife, Doris Bunce, at an informal softball game of local community teams. Doris grew up only a few miles north of him but had attended Stuart schools and they hadn’t crossed paths. They began dating and (except for Korean War) were inseparable for the next 75 years. They told dating stories of roller skating, homemade ice cream socials, and getting stuck on the muddy roads between their houses.

Doris and Dale were married on April 6, 1952, at the local Fairview Church. They honeymooned at Niagara Falls. They were happily married for 73 years and 19 days. Dale died exactly 44 days to the minute after his beloved wife Doris passed. He missed her greatly.

Dale and Doris farmed one season together before Dale was called to serve in the Korean War. He completed basic training in Arkansas and then shipped out to Korea. He told graphic stories of the ship hitting rough seas and a thousand men being seasick at the same time below decks on the troop ship.

Once in Korea, Dale served in an artillery unit firing 105 mm cannons. Due to his farming background, he was assigned as a truck driver hauling artillery ammunition and occasionally troops. The ammunition was stored in front of the guns and the gun blasts were so loud and frequent that he lost much of his hearing. He was later promoted to Sergeant and placed in charge of the ammunition storage facility (ammo dump). He thought war was terrible and felt sorry for the North Korean and Chinese troops “who didn’t want to be there either”. He did have pride in his off-road truck driving skills and his reputation as the unit’s champion arm wrestler. Dale was in Korea for 22 months and was there through the end of the war.

Upon his return to Iowa, Dale and Doris took their turn farming the land that has now been in the Molln family for 157 years. It was a challenging life but with hard work, they were successful grain and livestock farmers. They had three sons during these years: Eldon 1955, Dennis 1958, and Alan 1960. Farming and raising these boys kept them very busy. They had many farming friends they enjoyed visiting, playing cards with, and for a while square dancing.

In 1972, Dale seriously injured his neck in a farming accident. He recovered but was no longer able to continue farming. They sold off their livestock and machinery in December of 1973 and opened a new store in Greenfield. Western Auto and Furniture. This was a major life change, but they again used hard work and Doris’s bookkeeping skills to make it a success. They sold hardware, auto parts, appliances, furniture and a LOT of 10 speed bicycles. Dale was proud of being an honest businessman and providing excellent customer service. They originally lived in an apartment above the store but in 1983 they built a house overlooking the community swimming pool and lived there the rest of their lives.

They sold the store and retired in 1992. They helped their sons with the construction of their homes and doted on their grandchildren. They returned to farming the land part time after a few years of retirement. Dale’s health remained good, and he was still able to operate farm tractors until two weeks ago. He went water skiing one last time when he turned 80 just to show his granddaughters that he still could. He mowed his yard 3 weeks before passing. He beat his son in gin rummy 3 days before passing.

Dale and Doris loved camping and traveled throughout much of the Midwest and West including Alaska and Hawaii. They also traveled to Europe and toured through Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland and Austria. Dale’s very favorite activity was spending time with friends and family. He loved games of all types but especially cards where he enjoyed bidding high and taking chances. He always loved to tease and joke with everyone.

Dale is preceded in death by his wife Doris, his parents, his siblings and their spouses, and Doris’s parents, her siblings and their spouses.

Celebrating all he taught us about love and life are his three sons: Eldon (Laura) of Greenfield, Dennis (Kerry) of Mason City, and Alan (Denisse Allaire) of Greenfield, four grandchildren: Melody (Brian) Butler, Whitney (Derrick) Loftus, Aaron Krogh, and Paul Krogh, and two great grandchildren: Hadley and Brecken Butler.