Darrel Edward Ohnemus

Darrel Edward Ohnemus, 93, of Newton, died Tuesday, June 18, 2024, at Accura Healthcare in Newton. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, June 24, 2024, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Newton. The family will greet friends from 10-11 a.m., Monday, June 24, at the funeral home. Memorials to Outdoors Without Boundaries or the Iowa PBS Foundation can be left at the funeral home.

Darrel, the son of Edward John and Iona Mary (Seuferer) Ohnemus, was born April 8, 1931, in Lacona. He grew up in Warren County and graduated from Knoxville High School in 1949. Following graduation, Darrel began working at The Maytag Company. He served in the US Army during the Korean War. After his discharge he returned to working at Maytag, where he was employed until his retirement in 1989. On April 30, 1960, Darrel was united in marriage with Carmen Irene Kendrick at St. Ambrose Cathedral in Des Moines.

Darrel was an avid hunter, taking yearly deer hunting trips to the Black Hills for over 30 years. He enjoyed spending time in nature and said that he felt closest to God when he was in the woods. He enjoyed watching nature programs on IPTV and John Wayne movies. As a young man, Darrel was fortunate to have adults in his life who recognized his talents at an early age and mentored him and helped him learn skills such as welding and auto mechanics that helped him become successful. In his younger years, he worked on race cars and loved the sound of a good running engine. Darrel had a talent for diagnosing a car’s problems by ear. He had a great intelligence for how things fit together, which led to him being able to build engines from junkyard parts and also being an excellent gunsmith. Darrel also loved exploring the country roads, usually without a destination in mind, using his trusty compass to help him navigate his way back home.

Most important to Darrel was his family. He loved his wife dearly and kept a picture of his wife and each of his girls’ baby pictures in his wallet, even after they were adults.

Darrel is survived by his wife, Carmen of Newton; his daughters: Carol Ohnemus of Newton, Christine (George) Emery of Newton, Linda Ohnemus of Grinnell, and Janine DePenning of Baxter; 5 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; his sisters, Shirley Stephenson and Lila Russell; and his nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; son-in-law, Del DePenning; his sister, Marjorie Wilson; a niece; and a nephew.