Funeral services for Doyle Lee Schrader, 81, of rural Lacona, will be held Monday, September 21, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Knoxville. Interment will be at the St. Paul Lutheran Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Knoxville.
Family will receive friends on Sunday, September 20th, from 2:00 until 4:00 p.m. at the Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Milo.
Doyle Lee Schrader was born on May 28, 1945, in Pleasantville, Iowa. Doyle was deeply devoted to his family and steadfast in his faith in God. He grew up with his sisters, Marlene and Beverly, on the family farm in southeast Warren County, north of Lacona. Doyle attended country school near his home and was a member of the first graduating class of Southeast Warren High School in 1963.
Growing up in the Germantown area, St. Paul Lutheran Church was an important part of Doyle’s life. He was baptized there on June 17, 1945, and remained active in the church throughout his life. It was also at church, while they were still young, that Doyle began pulling the ponytail of a girl named Donna Hartz.
Apparently, he knew how to get her attention.
Doyle and Donna grew up attending school and church together, and somewhere along the way that childhood friendship became something more. They were married on July 20, 1968. Together they were blessed with three children, Diana, Denise, and Denny, and built a life centered on their family, their faith, and the farm. This July, they celebrated their 58th wedding anniversary.
Doyle was a hard worker, and farming was always a big part of who he was. He raised cow-calf pairs, fed cattle at different times through the years, and raised hogs. Of all the seasons on the farm, though, spring may have been his favorite. He never lost his appreciation for seeing the newborn calves arrive each year.
Like many farm families, Doyle and Donna faced difficult years during the farm crisis. Both took jobs away from the farm to make ends meet and hold on to the land they had worked so hard for. There were times when their schedules meant they hardly saw one another, but those years also brought them closer. Doyle stepped into responsibilities at home that he had not necessarily taken on before, whether that meant cleaning, helping with household chores, or making sure Donna had a lunch packed before she left for work. They did what needed to be done, together, and keeping the family farm was a sacrifice neither of them ever regretted.
Over the years, Doyle worked for South Central Co-op and also spent time working at Iowa Pack during the farm crisis. He eventually returned to the co-op, working at the Milo location before transferring to Melcher-Dallas. Doyle enjoyed the work, but even more than that, he enjoyed the people. He liked helping his friends and neighbors and built many lifelong friendships across the counter, over a cup of coffee, or during a game of pitch. All the while, he continued farming full-time at home.
Through the good years and the difficult ones, Doyle’s faith remained steady. He prayed every day and often throughout the day. His faith helped carry him through hard times, reminded him to be thankful for the good ones, and shaped the way he raised his family. He served his church as an elder and shared his love of music as a tenor in the church choir. Doyle loved to sing, and he had the voice to do it well.
When he wasn’t farming, Doyle could often be found working in his garden. He had a green thumb, once growing potatoes beneath a bed of straw, just to see if he could, and he did. He grew plenty of tomatoes and potatoes and seemed to enjoy giving the produce away nearly as much as he enjoyed growing it. He also liked to cook, especially when the family was coming home. One of his favorite traditions was frying potatoes in a cast-iron pot over an open fire. He enjoyed smoking meat as well, and a smoked turkey became something the family looked forward to around the holidays.
Doyle loved to tease everyone, from his sisters to the nurses at The Village. He was kind and thoughtful, but he also had an ornery streak that those who knew him well appreciated. He enjoyed a good joke or prank and was just as willing to laugh when someone managed to get the best of him. He was quick with a smile and enjoyed having a good time.
Doyle was also a storyteller. His grandchildren loved asking him to repeat the same stories over and over so they could enjoy them, memorize them, and one day retell them to their own children.
More than anything, Doyle loved his family. He was a steady presence in their lives, a man they could depend on, someone who worked hard for what he had and was willing to do whatever was necessary for the people he loved. His strength, kindness, faith, and sense of humor helped make him the foundation of a very close family.
His unwavering faith guided his life and left a lasting example for those who knew and loved him. He touched the lives of those around him, bringing joy and a smile wherever he went. Though he is no longer with us, his love, faith, and joyful spirit will always light the way. Our family will continue saying “Papa Prayers” and following in his faithful footsteps.
Doyle passed away peacefully with Donna by his side on September 14, 2026, at The Village in Indianola.
He will be greatly missed by his wife of 58 years, Donna Schrader; children, Diana (Mike) Peterson, Denise (Tim) Potterfield, and Denny (Marnie) Schrader; grandchildren, Chelsea Peterson, Garrett (Jackie Rau) Peterson, Austin Potterfield, Nicole (Ian Kinney) Potterfield, Madeline (Drew) Blauvelt, Caroline Schrader, Holden Schrader, and Gavin Schrader; great-granddaughter, Rose Potterfield; sisters, Marlene Borchert and Beverly (Dennis) Menefee; along with many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
Doyle was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond A. and Savilla D. (Herold) Schrader; aunt Midge Brooks; infant grandson, Cody Potterfield; brother-in-law Roger Hartz; and brother-in-law, Edgar Borchert.
