Evan Oster

Evan Lynn Oster Iowa summers are made of BLTs with fresh, red tomatoes and crisp Iowa bacon. They are served with Nishnabotna River Valley sweet corn, topped with sweet cream butter and plenty of salt. They are full of black soil teaming with delicious veggies and blasts of colorful flowers. Evan Oster loved it all. Evan Lynn Oster, 65, passed away peacefully on Sunday, July 27, 2014 at the University of Iowa Hospital surrounded by his loving family after a 6 month-long battle with leukemia. Evan was born February 14, 1949 to Everett and Lucile Vannordstrand Oster in Red Oak, Iowa. He was raised on his familys Century Farm in Elliott, Iowa, a house lovingly built by the hands of his great-grandfather upon his return from service in the Civil War. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Landscape Architecture and a lifelong love of the Cyclones. Evan began his successful career in landscape architecture and property development and management in St. Louis, MO working for a prestigious architecture firm. He then returned home to Iowa working for United Federal Savings Bank as Vice President of Properties (We Love Iowa!), starting his own business, E.L. Oster & Associates, and most recently retiring from Knapp Properties in December of last year. His passion for landscape architecture is reflected upon the streets and businesses of suburban Des Moines. Evan took immense pride in his familys genealogy, past and present. A fervent researcher, Evan once took it upon himself to read all volumes of the Funk & Wagnall Encyclopedia from A-Z. He was a walking wealth of knowledge, an avid traveler, a history enthusiast, and a land use guru. Evan found many mornings of pleasure teeing up at the golf course with his golf buddies, and had an incredible long game. He loved to garden, creating landscapes of color and gardens full of vegetables. He was a woodworker, inventor, tinkerer and fixer, never meeting a project he couldnt tackle or master. He took 1 ½ years creating a two story Victorian dollhouse, helped build a swingset, and drafted plans for a treehouse, all for his granddaughters. Evan loved crosswords, even creating themed crosswords by hand. He was always ready with creative culinary delicacies to serve for large family gatherings. He will be remembered for all these and his limitless generosity to his family, lovingly reflected under the Christmas tree that adorned his and JoAnns living room every December. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, JoAnn (Klosterman); his two daughters EuGenie (Nick) Maybanks of Cedar Rapids, and Elizabeth (Tim) Kinsinger of Gilbert, Arizona; his step-children Chris (Kara) VanMeeteren of Hull, Amy (Travail) VanMeeteren of Des Moines, and Shaun (Deanna) VanMeeteren of Urbandale; his 12 grandchildren: Damon, Kaylee, Whitney, Dante, Sydney, Jace, Claudia, Madeline, Isadora, Ivy, John and Eliza; his sister Eileen Redinger, his brother Edward (Donna) Oster, nephews, nieces, golf buddies, extended family and countless friends. Visitation will be Thursday, July 31 from 4-7 pm at Caldwell-Raddatz Funeral Home, 8201 Hickman Road in Urbandale. His Celebration of Life will be Friday, August 1 at 11 am at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Evans honor to the Parkinsons Disease Foundation or the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.