WEST DES MOINES, Iowa—Gary Lee Blomgren, 77, of West Des Moines formerly of Boone, passed away on April 7, 2024, at his home in West Des Moines, Iowa. Gary was born on February 18, 1947, in Ames, Iowa, the son of Eathel and Forrest Blomgren. He graduated from United Community High School in 1965 and married Diane Doran on September 10, 1965, in Boone, Iowa.
After high school, Gary attended auctioneering school and began his career as a farmer and auctioneer. As a farmer, Gary operated Blomgren Grain, and raised hogs and Belgian horses— he was especially proud of his horses. Gary loved all farm sales and antiques. Gary also regularly held hay auctions and carried his passion for auctioneering even after retirement. Anyone who knew Gary knew he loved to show how fast he could talk. Gary was known for his contagious personality of making people laugh. Whether you were with him while he was cracking jokes or reading his posts on Facebook, he always knew how to make you smile. He also loved to give people a jump scare. One of his favorite jokes to play was to scare a nurse as she was getting ready to give him a shot or draw blood, or jump at you when you walked by.
Gary’s favorite thing to do was spend time with his family. He loved watching all of his grandkid’s sporting events, especially baseball and softball games. He was known as Van Meter softball’s #1 fan. When Gary wasn’t spending time with his family, his favorite thing to do was to go fishing. His favorite fishing spots were at Sun Valley Lake, Lake Panorama, and The Van Pelt farm. Gary loved attending the Iowa State Fair every year. This last year marked Gary’s 75th state fair, which he displayed proudly wearing a shirt he helped custom make stating it was his 75th state fair. Gary loved all animals, especially his dogs Princess and Muffin, and his “guard-dog” Lucy.
Gary loved traveling with his family. His favorite vacation was traveling to Alaska with his family in 2017. Gary was able to travel to all 50 states after traveling to Oregon with his family in 2021.
Gary was known for being a very sociable person. He loved having coffee, talking with his friends, and making new friends at breakfast restaurants. To Gary, everyone was a friend. He loved striking up conversations with everyone in sight. In early years, his favorite places were Country Kitchen and Whistle Stop Cafe in Boone, Iowa. In recent years, his favorite restaurant was Waveland Cafe in Booneville, Iowa.
Gary is preceded in death by his wife, Diane Blomgren; brothers, Chester and Darwin Blomgren; and parents, Eathel and Forrest Blomgren.
Gary is survived by his sister, Pat Blomgren Winstead; two children, Jason (Stacy) Blomgren and Melissa (Steve) Ahrens; grandchildren: Meagan Blomgren, Mackenzie Blomgren, Jacob Blomgren, Molly Blomgren, Macy Blomgren, Ashley (Kory) Brown, Lindsey Ahrens, and Nicholas Ahrens; and great-grandchildren, Aria King and Harper Brown.
Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at the First United Methodist Church in Boone, with Pastor Adam Gordon officiating. Interment will be at Linwood Park Cemetery in Boone following the funeral service. Visitation with the family present to greet friends will be from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 12, 2024, at Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home in Boone. Visitation will resume Saturday morning from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church.
Memorials in Gary’s memory can be directed to the Boone A&M FFA Chapter at Boone High School.
The Schroeder-Stark-Welin Funeral Home, 609 7th Street, Boone, Iowa is assisting the family with these arrangements.
Gary Blomgren, 77, West Des Moines, Iowa and formerly of Boone, Iowa
