Dee Ann Wilson

Dee Ann Lee Wilson, 83, of West Des Moines, Iowa, passed away peacefully in the presence of family at MorningStar Senior Living on November 22nd, 2024. An educator, philanthropist, public servant, and mentor, Dee Ann’s family is heartbroken by her absence but comforted that she will be reuniting in paradise with her husband and the love of her life Larry Wilson, only four months after Larry’s passing.

Dee Ann was born October 9th, 1941 in Colfax, Illinois to Elton Meely and Loarene Evelyn (Hutson) Douglass. Her father made his living as a tenant farmer and as the youngest of five, Dee Ann was teased by her older sisters as she was the only Douglass child to be born in a hospital. She attended a one-room country school as a child and later, at Le Roy High School, she'd meet the man she would spend the next 65 years of her life with, Larry Wilson. They'd marry on September 6th, 1959, and travel to Logan, Utah so that Larry could attend Utah State University. She worked part-time to support Larry and their newborn daughters, tragically losing their second, Deborah "Debbie", to hydrocephalus. Despite helping raise two children, working part-time jobs, and attending classes during what Dee Ann would later call the "poverty years", she proudly graduated from Utah State in 1965 with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education.

As Larry's job took the family to different parts of Utah, Dee Ann found herself teaching nearly 40 third-grade students in Vernal, as a resource teacher for intellectually disabled third through sixth graders in Helper, and finally, teaching over 30 fourth graders in Price. During this timeframe the Wilsons added a third daughter to the family and Dee Ann earned her Master's of Education from Utah State in 1978.

When employment opportunities brought the family to Iowa in 1981, Dee Ann joined the Iowa Department of Public Instruction, later known as the Iowa Department of Education. She would spend the remainder of her professional career with the Department, majority of it as a Consultant in Special Education for the Bureau of Student and Family Support Services. Her primary responsibility was administering conflict resolution, making sure that special needs students were treated fairly across the State, and if there was an issue, providing all parties the resources for a solution. Her time as an educator, especially teaching children with intellectual disabilities, made her passionate about special education, helping parents and public schooling.

After 29 years of service, Dee Ann retired from the Department of Education in 2010. Her long list of accomplishments includes the JoLeta Reynolds Service to Special Education Award, a national award that goes to those who demonstrate dedication, excellence, and integrity in carrying out the responsibilities of serving special needs children and their families. Other distinctions include the Iowa Governor’s Golden Dome Award: Employee of the Year, Iowa Department of Education; Iowa CEC Winterstein Memorial Award; and the Learning Disabilities Association of Iowa Appreciation Award.

Dee Ann loved to exercise, playing racquetball in her prime and later in life, going on long walks around Windsor Heights. When the weather was too cold, you’d find her getting her 10,000 steps in at Valley West Mall, as she hadn’t given up on the mall that she’d loved in its heyday, even though so many others had. She was active in local organizations including Families Forward and the Des Moines Women’s Club. She loved fashion, decorating, and gardening. She and Larry tolled away in the garden of their Windsor Heights home for days, becoming Master Gardeners, winning local awards for best garden, and having their work featured in numerous publications including Betters Homes & Gardens Gardening Ideas magazine.

She was a devout Methodist, attending Windsor and later Aldersgate United Methodist Church. She advocated for social justice, the right for women to make their own healthcare decisions and marriage equality. Like the righteous in Matthew 25, she fed the hungry, welcomed strangers, clothed the unclothed, and visited the sick and those in prison. Most of all she believed that kindness was the path to salvation and that we should be more forgiving of one another.

Her greatest love was spending time with her husband, Larry, and her family. Every holiday was a celebration at their home, complete with seasonal decorations and table settings. She never stopped teaching, helping her grandchildren with their schooling in their formative years, and proofread more than a few college papers. She listened, gave counsel, never judged when someone made a mistake and she asked questions because she genuinely cared for your well-being. She gave her family unconditional love and it is that love, compassion, and kindness that her family will never be able to replace and will forever miss.

Dee Ann was preceded in death by her husband and one true love, Larry, her daughter Deborah, her parents Elton and Loarene, her brother Elton “Duane” who was killed in World War II and buried at Arlington National Cemetery, her sister Barbara Stevens and her brother Robert.

She is survived by her sister Karlene Stinson (Milo) of Carlsbad, California, her beloved daughters Valorie Wilson (Roger Owens) of Des Moines, Julia Burke (Greg Goldizen) of Johnston and Michelle Jones-Woods (Jeff) of Urbandale; her grandchildren Michael Jones of Windsor Heights, Samantha McConeghey-Meditz (Sean) of Nashville, Tennessee and Brandon Burke of Johnston; and her great-grandchildren Edith Maeve Jones and Lennon Steven Meditz.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any memorial donations be made to Families Forward in Des Moines or Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

A memorial service will be held on December 7th, 2024 at Windsor United Methodist Church, 6222 University Avenue, Des Moines, IA. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM with a service at 11:00 AM and a luncheon thereafter. Dee Ann has been cremated and her ashes will be laid to rest in her family plot at Wiley Cemetery in Colfax, Illinois.