Obituaries : Wilfred Dean Suchy

Wilfred Dean Suchy was born June 28, 1936 in Belle Plaine, Iowa to Milo and Alice (Viktora) Suchy. He was the second of six children, two brothers and three sisters. He grew up near Elberon on the family farm working alongside his parents and siblings.

Wilfred attended a one room schoolhouse near their home where his mother taught for part of his school years. After leaving school at a young age he became a full time farmer. He never stopped reading and learning throughout his entire life.

On May 8, 1956, he married Madonna Sheda in Chelsea. Four children were born to them, Willie, Mark, Babette and David, who died at birth. Wilfred first farmed near Elberon, then Blairstown, and later bought a farm near Victor in 1970. He grew corn, oats, beans and hay and raised hogs and cattle. While farming he was actively involved in the National Farmers Organization leading the NFO Marengo Collection Point and represented them at national conventions. He was a staunch advocate for collective bargaining.

Wilfred raised his children by his example to work hard, be honest, kind, considerate, observant and solve problems. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping and shared his love of the outdoors and good humor with them. He was very proud of them and their accomplishments, saying that he was glad for every day he had with them.

Wilfred also enjoyed time with his grandchildren, going fishing, having family Easter egg hunts, braiding twine into rope and building a tree house, baling hay, having them help with chores and going to the junkyard to look for parts to repair farm machinery. Grandpa was proud that all of his grandchildren graduated from college.

In addition to farming, Wilfred was a school bus driver for the Belle Plaine schools for several years. He drove a daily bus route and for extracurricular activities. He was proud to have never missed a day of work.

Wilfred eventually retired from both farming and bus driving. Instead of planting fields of corn and beans each spring, he focused on gardening and planted rows of potatoes, hills of squash, tomatoes, and other vegetables. Each year he generously shared his produce with relatives, neighbors and friends.

One of his favorite activities was hunting for large and small game. He made several trips out west to Wyoming and Oregon to hunt bear, deer, elk and antelope with family members. His love of guns inspired he and his son Willie to create a new 35 caliber rifle that they trade marked as the 'WDS35'. They did not think that the stock 358 caliber bullets were the correct size for hunting big game. He also enjoyed many yearly camping trips to Lake Superior with his daughter Babette, where they hiked, camped and enjoyed the great outdoors of Upper Michigan.

Throughout his life, Wilfred was a man of deep faith. He was a member of St. Bridget's Catholic Church in Victor and the Knights of Columbus. Wilfred often said a traditional grace before meals and some of the grown grandchildren still call it, "Grandpa's grace".

Wilfred is survived by his son Mark (Stephanie) Suchy and daughter Babette Suchy; daughter-in-law Anna Suchy; grandchildren Taylor (Dave) Carlson and Dean (Alexandra) Suchy; step grandchildren Aaron (Christina) Wiseman, Shawn (Bryony) Wiseman, Patrick Wiseman and Nicholas (Heather) Wiseman; step great-grandchildren Michael, Jennifer Lucas, Tyler, Harlan, Andrew, Amy, Lloyd and Willie; siblings, Richard Suchy, Karen C. Suchy, DeLonde Suchy, Veronica (Dave) Porter and Dan (Verla) Suchy; numerous nieces and nephews; "adopted" family Chris (Ronnie) Foster, Andrew (Shelby; Lewis and Sabrina) Foster, Joshua (Brianna) Foster, Letrisha (Austin; Elsie) Foster and Shannon Foster.

Wilfred was preceded in death by his wife Madonna Sheda Suchy and his sons, David and Willie Suchy.

Special thanks to the Essence of Life Hospice team for their attentive, compassionate support allowing Wilfred to pass peacefully at home, the UnityPoint Health Family Medicine - Belle Plaine team and the AeroCare team in Hiawatha.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made by donating to the upkeep and development of the Willie J. Suchy Wildlife Management Area in Mahaska County, near New Sharon in south central Iowa. This wildlife area was named after Wilfred's son, Willie Suchy, who worked for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for over thirty years managing turkey and deer population for the state of Iowa. Here is the DNR website to make your donation. Put 'Willie Suchy' in the 'In Memory Of' field to ensure the money is used for that wildlife area.