Louis Roy Lumbard

Louis Roy Lumbard, 95, of Creston, departed this life suddenly on Saturday evening, October 14, 2023, at his home in Creston IA. Visitation with family present will be from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Thursday, October 19, at the United Church of Diagonal, 400 Adams St., Diagonal, IA with services at 11:00 a.m. and luncheon immediately after. Burial will be in Graceland Cemetery, Creston, IA. Armstrong Funeral Home, Mt. Ayr, IA is in charge of the arrangements. Memorials are in the name of Roy Lumbard for the family to decide.

Louis Roy Lumbard was born to Louis Roderick and Florence (Boylan) Lumbard on February 25, 1928, in Denver, CO, where his father was a machinist for the railroad. After his father’s death in 1929, Roy and his mother returned to her hometown of Prescott, IA where she was later united in marriage to Edgar Chattin Allen. Roy grew up on the Allen farm, where he explored woods, fields, and the Nodaway River, nurturing a deep love of the land. He attended his first 8 years of school at the Walnut Grove country school where he was the only child in his grade the entire time. Many friendships with the boys and girls in that country school endured their whole lives, and he mourned their passing.

In 1941, the family relocated to a farm northeast of Diagonal, IA and Roy made new lifelong friends as he attended high school in Diagonal, graduating in 1945. Following the example of the other young men, he hurried off to enlist in the Army, but x-rays showed broken ribs not completely healed so he headed home to the farm and has been farming ever since.

In 1949 Roy’s bride-to-be Norma Jean Sobotka graduated from Diagonal and the couple celebrated with an August 16th wedding at the home of Edd and Francis Sobotka, parents of the bride. Roy was welcomed with open arms by Jeannie’s four brothers, her parents and a host of assorted relatives. A true blessing for an only child. The union was blessed with 6 children: Roseann Maxine, Mary Beth, Spencer Dean, Brenda Ruth, Hope Arlene and Dawn Kathleen. As the family grew, so did the farm. Roy worked at his own place and was a hired hand for Frank Hunt for many years. He also worked for Taylor Fiberglass and was always ready and willing to lend a helping hand if a neighbor was sick, hurt or needed someone to do the chores while they were away from home. He soon realized that his true interest was raising cattle. The DaShaMay grazing partnership netted him new friends as well as cattle and land. Roy was a lifelong learner and quickly adapted to the new practice of rotational grazing and worked for FHA teaching his fellow farmers the advantages of this land stewardship and advising them while they implemented it on their farms.

When he got the opportunity to sell some of his land for very good price, he moved into Diagonal and later took a trip to Colorado to visit family. That choice changed the next nine years of his life when he decided to relocate and remain near his beloved mountains. Never idle, Roy was approached for employment as maintenance for an apartment complex. Pleading ignorance of appliance repair and electrical work, the owner countered with “You’re a farmer, you can fix anything and you’re not afraid to work!” Roy took classes and learned to repair appliances, do electrical repair and pool and hot tub maintenance. He was moved through several owners and buildings and ended up at the newest, most high-end complex providing valuable service and advice to the owner. Meanwhile he was being an absentee landlord for his son and son-in-law who were renting the remainder of the farm and learning locksmithing from his son-in-law, Roy J. in Colorado Springs. There was also the inevitable camping, hunting and fishing as well as learning to snow ski. He later returned to Diagonal, remained living in town, working as a security guard at Wellman Dynamics in Creston, starting his own locksmithing business, as well as farming his land and caring for Jeannie until her death in 1999.

Roy was an active member of his church. His family attended the First Christian Church where he served as a Sunday school teacher and Youth leader. He loved helping with church camp. He advocated for the merger of Diagonal’s dwindling churches into what became the United Church of Diagonal, where he continued to serve as a church board member and deacon well into his 80s. He also supported Diagonal’s school where all six of the children attended and graduated. He played basketball in high school and encouraged his children to do so also. He loved basketball games! He was “Iowa Nice” before it was a thing—always with a wave and smile for everyone, stop and visit, share a do-you-remember-when story. He eagerly anticipated attending the next Easter service, Alumni Banquet, Labor Day Extravaganza, Fall Supper, Harvest Sale, school play and any other community activities in Diagonal and the chance to see everyone who was there. Even after more than 20 years residing in Creston, he remained a Diagonalite through and through!

Roy wasn’t all work. He loved fishing, hunting, skiing (both snow and water) and camping, taking all except the baby (of the moment) along to share the fun. The family still schedules an annual ski trip to the mountains and Roy skied and taught all the beginners until he was 88. He enjoyed teaching children and often acted like the big child himself. Camping progressed through cars and tents, roughing it with young men he knew before he married, to station wagons of small children and on to pickup campers, the high-lows that were his favorite and eventually a park model in Apache Junction were he and Jeannie enjoyed five winters in the same park.

Roy and Nancy married on June 25, 2000. They moved to Nancy’s house in Creston as she was employed fulltime in Creston, but even after twenty years living in Creston, Diagonal was his home.

Though second wife Nancy drew the line at tents, Roy was once again the proud owner of a high-low and they camped often in local parks and traveled to visit family. It was on to larger trailers when they started going south for the winters.

Roy will be missed by his second wife, Nancy (Johnson) Rink, his children Roseann Crumley, Mary (Robert) Hower, Spencer (Elinor) Lumbard, Brenda (Scott) Hoffman, Hope (B. William) Hall, and Dawn (Pete) LaCasse, 23 grandchildren, 34 great grandchildren, and 14 great-great grandchildren: stepchildren Roger E. Rink, Rebecca (Greg) Pearce, Robin (Shane Wamboldt) Rink; step daughter-in-law Monique Rink; and numerous relatives and friends.

Roy was preceded in death by his father Louis Roderick Lumbard in 1929; his mother & stepfather Florence (Boylan) Lumbard & Edgard Chattin Allen; father & mother-in-law Edward and Frances Sobotka; father & mother-in-law Dudley & Norma Johnson; first wife Norma Jean (Sobotka) Lumbard; son-in-law Roy J. Crumley; grandson Kirk Allen LaCasse; stepson Randall William (Bill) Rink.