Dean Luhrs, 95, of Greenfield

Funeral Services: Will be held on Friday, January 26, 2024, at 1:00 p.m. at the Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield with private burial in the Oakwood  Cemetery, Casey, Iowa.  Pastor Jeffrey Keuning will officiate the service.  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.

Open Visitation:  Will be held on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at the Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Family Visitation:  The family will greet friends on Thursday, January 25, 2024, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield.

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

Dean Earl Luhrs was born in a snowstorm in Rural Casey, Iowa, on January 13, 1929, to parents John L. Luhrs and Johanna (Stolk) Luhrs. Following another snowy birthday, Dean passed away peacefully in Greenfield on January 17, 2024, with his wife of 71 years, Alice (Roberts) Luhrs, holding his hand.  

Dean grew up on his family’s farm near Casey in Walnut Township. Despite originally thinking his education might end in 8th grade country school, which was common for many farm families at the time, Dean continued to and graduated from Casey High School in 1946, at his mother’s insistence. He met his wife at a roller skating rink, where he was encouraged to ask her older sister to skate, but he asked Alice instead. They married on August 31, 1952, and raised two children, Delene and John. 

Dean grew up in the rolling hills of Adair County all his life. His family farm grew corn, soybeans, oats, and alfalfa, and he always cared for the land. Over the years, he also raised many kinds of livestock from chickens to pigs to sheep, but he retired from farming with a small cow-calf herd that had been thoughtfully attended to and selected over generations.

Even with his feet planted firmly in the black soil of southwest Iowa, Dean always followed the local and national news, kept an open mind, and monitored the weather report. He did not particularly love to travel—enjoying the sight of flat, rich farmland the most. However, he honeymooned in Colorado with his wife in 1952, and they returned to Colorado in recent years to visit their granddaughter, Hannah, and her family. They traveled to South Carolina to dip their toes in the Atlantic Ocean following their granddaughter Sarah’s wedding in 2006, despite Dean’s protest that the waves might sweep them out to sea. 

Dean and Alice enjoyed attending St. John’s Lutheran Church in Casey, spending time with family and friends, and introducing the farm to their “city” grandchildren, including fond memories of summer visits with their grandson, Jacob. 

For a long time, Dean held headstand competitions and danced to Lawrence Welk Show reruns in his living room. He had an incredible work ethic, an ability to fix anything, strong opinions, and a wry sense of humor. His eyes would twinkle when telling a story or joke. His family marveled at his “grandpa theories,” that upon fact-checking, almost always rang true. For his family, Dean was true north. 

He is survived by his wife, Alice, daughter Delene (Greg) Fletcher of North Liberty, son John R. Luhrs of Casey, granddaughter Sarah (David) Coleman of Cedar Rapids, granddaughter Hannah (Joe Kalb) Fletcher of Lafayette, Colorado, grandson Jacob (Janet) Fletcher of Ottumwa, five great-grandsons Wesley and Emmett Coleman, Benjamin and Theo Kalb, and Noah Fletcher and three bonus great-granddaughters, Hailey, Brandi, and Brittney, and many nieces and nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, a great-grandson Wyatt Coleman, his brother, Dale L. Luhrs Sr., his sister-in-law, Violet Luhrs, and a niece Linda Mitchell.