Don Roth, age 81 of Wall Lake, IA, passed away at his home on Monday, January 16, 2023, surrounded by his family. Donald Lloyd Roth was born on September 18, 1941, to parents Lloyd and Loretta (Calhoun) Roth in Carroll, IA. He grew up on a farm by Odebolt, IA, just north of what used to be Herring, IA, and attended country school in Herring through the eighth grade. Don then attended Wall Lake High School and graduated with the class of 1959. Don served in the United States Army Reserve for six years.
On October 2, 1965, Don married Bernice Fay Hammond. This union was blessed with three children, Dan, Lori, and Jeff. Together Don and Bernice raised their family in Wall Lake on a farm where they remained living until just last year before moving to town.
Don was a farmer through and through. He was always busy doing something whether it was custom harvesting for area farmers, working as a mechanic in the shop he and his brother shared, or tending to his own livestock and land. For Don, there was never a time for not needing to wear his ‘work’ boots.
When he wasn’t busy working, Don liked to hunt for coyotes and deer. He also enjoyed fishing at his pond and taking rides all throughout the countryside on the Ranger with his dog BoBo at his side. Back in his earlier years he drag raced in the Ram Rods Club and really enjoyed snowmobiling. Don and Bernice liked playing cards and were in several card clubs together. They also enjoyed camping with their children and grandchildren. A lot of great memories were made on those camping trips. Music made Don happy. In fact, he was singing during his last days. He liked Polka music and watched Molly B’s Polka Party on RFD TV on Saturday nights. He liked old Westerns and Wheel of Fortune and believe it or not, was a Days of Our Lives soap opera fan. Don was pretty partial to Ford tractors and had a toy tractor collection.
Above all, Don loved his family. He was always there for them and getting to spend time with them, especially his grandkids, meant the world to him. Every grandchild received a nickname from grandpa Don and they loved him for that and so much more. He was a great husband, dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa who will be missed dearly by all who knew and loved him. May he rest forever in God’s beautiful paradise where the Ranger rides never end, the tractors are blue, and harvest time is forever bountiful.
Those left to cherish his memory are his wife of over fifty-seven years, Bernice Roth of Wall Lake, IA; children Dan (Tina) Roth of Wall Lake, IA, Lori (Scott) Boom of Lake View, IA, and Jeff Roth of Odebolt, IA; grandchildren: Kelsey (Tate) Wilken of Odebolt, IA, Kaleb (Emily) Roth of Omaha, NE, Kody Roth of Wall Lake, IA, Konner Roth of Des Moines, IA, Cordel Boom of Lake View, IA, Carlee Boom (Stetson Ihnen) of Sioux Falls, SD, Jonathan Arter of Wall Lake, IA, and Sophie Hansen of Manning, IA; great-grandchildren Owen and Rhett Wilken, Porter Roth and baby boy Roth due in April; brothers-in-law Norman Hammond of Wall Lake, IA, and Tom (Sherrie) Hammond of Lake View, IA; sisters-in-law Shirley Hoaglund of Lake View, IA, Sandie Roth of Wall Lake, IA, and Marty Hammond of Cherokee, IA; many nieces, nephews, other extended family members and friends.
Don was preceded in death by his parents Lloyd and Loretta Roth; parents-in-law Bill and Katherine Hammond; brother James Roth; brother-in-law Dick Hammond; sisters-in-law Janice (Leonard) Karstens and Geneva Fowler; and nephew-in-law Ronnie Karstens.
