"I\'m sorry and sad to see that Al has passed away. When I was a Forest City Police Officer back in the 70\'s and 80\'s I worked with Al when he was on the Police Reserve. Always enjoyed and appreciated when he was on-duty with me. You could always count on Al to \'have your back\' and do the job. He was fun and enjoyable to be around. May God\'s Holy Spirit comfort all of you, his family. Roger Trettin Rockford, Ia"
In loving memory of
Allen D. Dirksen
November 13, 1950 - December 7, 2020
A funeral service for Allen Dirksen, 70, of Rural Titonka, will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Friday, December 11, 2020 at the Woden Christian Reformed Church. Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 10, 2020 at the Woden Christian Reformed Church. Due to the Covid-19 mandate, only 15 individuals are allowed at a time. Social distancing practices will be followed, and masks are required. Services will be live-streamed on Oakcrest Funeral Services' Facebook Page.
Allen D. Dirksen was born on November 13th, 1950 in Buffalo Center, IA. He was the youngest of five children born to Henry and Anna (Tjarks) Dirksen.
Al attended grade school in Woden and finished his education at the Titonka Consolidated School where he graduated in 1968.
On July 6th, 1985 he married Lisa Helmers at the Little Brown Church in Nashua. In 1987, their daughter Lacey was born.
Al retired from 3M in Forest City after 32 years. He enjoyed staying busy in his retirement and was currently working for Winnebago Industries as a courier transporting motorhomes locally. He also enjoyed working for the Main Family during fall harvest. He often said he made some of his dearest friends working these jobs.
Al enjoyed all aspects of farm life and was a lover of animals, which he passed onto his grandchildren. In his free time, Al enjoyed driving his corvette, going to car shows, tractor rides and refinishing furniture, but more importantly, being 'Pappy' to his grandchildren.
Al was a past member of the Forest City Police Reserves, a retiree of the Woden Fire Department and was currently on the church council of the Woden Christian Reformed Church. Al was a people person and all that knew him would agree he loved to visit or just 'BS' a bit. He was very willing to give of his time to help others.
Allen D. Dirksen, 70, of rural Titonka, passed away December 7th, 2020 at Kossuth Regional Health Center under Hospice Care. Al was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on November 7th, 2020 and passed away exactly one month later.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Lisa; children, Brad Dirksen of Coon Rapids, MN, Shannon (Jeremy) Herrick of Austin, MN, Lacey (Justin) Huisman of Osage, IA. He is also survived by five grandchildren, Blake Dirksen, Madison & Jacob Herrick, and Sophia & Henry Huisman; three brothers, George Dirksen, Larry Dirksen and Dennis (Rosie) Dirksen; one sister Janice (Gerald) Meyer; and numerous nieces, nephews, and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents; sister-in-law, Ruth Dirksen; father-in-law, Dale Helmers; brothers-in-law, Richard (Dick) Jensvold, and David Harms.
A special thank you to Hospice of the Heartland KRHC 3rd Floor nurses for their excellent care during his short stay. Also, a special thank you to Shelly Harms for holding our hands and walking this journey with us. We are forever grateful.
Our hope is someone's holiday is a little brighter with Al's final gift of organ donation.
Tributes
"I remember when the family moved into the next farm north of us. They were the happiest people I knew. Had to joke about Al and his hair. If it got messd up even a little his comb would be out getting it back in place. He was a good guy and he will be missed."
"My condolances Lisa and Lacey."
"So sorry to hear Al\'s sudden passing. Friendly guy and always fun to visit with! My sincere condolences to Lisa and all! "
"Dirksen family, Al was always such a soft spoken man who loved to visit for as long as you wanted. Proud to say he was my classmate and longtime acquaintance. Lisa and family you have our sympathy. "