Leroy H. Rotschafer
March 14, 2019
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Service Details
Leroy Harold Rotschafer, 89, was born April 19, 1929, in Wesley, Iowa to August F. and Sadie (Daniels) Rotschafer. He passed away Thursday, March 14, 2019 at the Urbandale Health Care Center.
Leroy graduated from Britt High School in Britt, Iowa and earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Iowa State University. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the Army from 1946-47. Leroy had been a resident of the Des Moines area since 1957. He married Alma Berniece Cook. Leroy was a teacher for the Des Moines Public Schools system for 37 years. He helped established a drivers’ education program for disabled drivers. Leroy was a member of Union Park United Methodist Church, the National Education Association, and the Masonic Lodge of Tama, Iowa. One of Leroy’s passions was traveling and following his retirement, he and his wife Alma visited all 50 states.
He is survived by his son David (Donna) Rotschafer, daughter Cindy Blackford, brother Leonard Rotschafer, five grandchildren: Mikeal, Rick (Miranda), Alyssa (Mike), Mina (Luke) and Drew (Julie), nine great-grandchildren: Corley, Emery, Jackson, Sam, Cate, Lauren, Finn, Maddie and Ben, and many other extended family and friends.
Leroy was preceded in death by his wife Alma, daughter Karen, son-in-law Mikeal Blackford, and sisters Loella and Esther.
Visitation will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Friday, March 22, 2019 at Hamilton’s Funeral Home, 605 Lyon Street, Des Moines. Funeral service will be 10:00 a.m. Saturday, March 23, 2019 at Union Park United Methodist Church, 2305 E 12th Street, Des Moines, followed by burial at Sunset Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Union Park UMC Scholarship Fund, 2305 E 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50316 or Hospice of the Midwest, 9203 Northpark Drive, Johnston, IA 50131.
Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.
Warren Larsen
03/22/2019
When I was growing up I remember attending church with Leroy and Alma at Union Park United Methodist Church. They were both some of the nicest people. Leroy always, always had a smile and asked how I was and how college was. I had the pleasure of awarding Leroy a Quilt of Valor for his WWII service a couple years ago at his retirement home. It was a pleasure and an honor. You will be missed my many!
John Womack
03/22/2019
Many of my fondest memories growing up involved Leroy and Alma. We were welcomed to so many of their family events, and they to ours, that I think I was well into grade school before I realized that we weren't really related! Leroy will always be a role model to me of what a "real man" should be. He loved his wife passionately, he helped anyone who asked him, he treated people with respect, and he faced the world with such a huge smile that you couldn't help but smile back. I am so thankful to have had him in my life.
Mary Lou Kaloupek, Kerrville, Texas
03/20/2019
Mr. Rotschafer taught for many years at Tama High School, Tama, Iowa. He was the graduating Class of 1956 Class Sponsor. He started the Drivers Ed program at Tama High School. I learned to drive with him as my Drivers Ed teacher. Mr. R has been best friends with all of our class of 1956 and he has attended almost all of the reunions. At the 50th reunion, while I played Anniversary Walz on my fiddle, LeRoy and Alma got up and danced, and the rest of the class followed the lead. He was a wonderful man and loved by all. We visited him each time we came to back to Iowa. We will miss him greatly.
Jim Kerr
03/19/2019
I remember him well. I had him for woodshop at Woodrow and I also had him for drivers training at East. Great guy.
Jerry Shedd
03/19/2019
He was my wood shop teacher at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High. I remember him as being a very big man. He was fair but you didn't want to get on the wrong side of him. He would give you a choice, an hour after school or one swat with his paddle. Most took the hour after school.....lol. He was one of my favorite teachers of all times! RIP Mr. Rotschafer.
Mikeal Blackford
03/19/2019
I'll have many stories I've been gathering from him the last few years but a small personal one is his role in forming my offbeat sense of humor by exposing me to books like 99 Elephant Jokes or 101 Uses For A Dead Cat He was great for a kinda weird kid who shared so few of his talents and hobbies.
If you've ever wondered why Grandpa hated lemons so badly I got the story out of him a few years ago. Shortly after returning from the army, he was doing extra construction work on a house. The nice lady would bring him a large glass of "lemonade" every day without fail. Also, without sugar. He choked it down because he needed the work, there was no place else to get rid of the offending beverage, and he didn't want to hurt the feeling of the lady who hired him. So that turned into a life-long hatred for all things lemon, which his grandchildren and great grandchildren loved to tease him about.
Grandpa was one of those guys who seemed to know everyone everywhere you went because he'd done so much for so many people in his 89 years.
A stubborn old squarehead (in his words), no doubt glad to be at rest while sorrowful for those of us he left behind.
From the poem Requiem:
Under the wide and starry sky
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me; "Here he lies where he longed to be, Home is the sailor, home from sea, And the hunter home from the hill." --R.L. Stevenson
David F Brown
03/18/2019
I am 70 years old now and Mr. Rotschafer was one of my teachers at Woodrow Wilson Jr. High. He was always very decent to his students. And over the years when I think back about my life I always have great memories about my adolescent years at WW Jr. High and he is definitely a part of them.
Great guy.