Harold Youngdahl

Harold Youngdahl, age 95, formerly of Ocheyedan, Iowa, died Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at the Accura Care Center in Milford, Iowa.

Memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, June 27, 2026, at the Ocheyedan Methodist Church in Ocheyedan, Iowa, with Pastor Steve Swenson officiating.  
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Visitation will be one hour before the service at the church.

There will be military honors by Wood-Miller American Legion Post No. 326 of Ocheyedan, following the memorial service just outside the church.

Arrangements are in the care of the Jurrens Funeral Home of Ocheyedan, Iowa.

Harold Clinton Youngdahl was born on September 5, 1930, to Clifford and Dorothy (Boles) Youngdahl in Ocheyedan, IA, a difficult breech birth that he was not expected to survive. Six years later they welcomed a daughter, Alice Pauline, who Harold remembered carrying around on his shoulders. He spent his youth in Ocheyedan where he helped his dad with his trucking business; hauling lumber, coal and cement to the lumber yard and cattle to Sioux City. He talked often of his faithful dog, Sandy. They enjoyed walking the railroad tracks hunting pheasants and going fishing.

At 16 Harold quit school to work for the railroad, the Rock Island Lines, earning money to purchase his first car. At 21 he joined the Air National Guard, 174th Fighter-Bomber Squadron. He was stationed in Maine (which he loved) and Louisiana (not so much). After he was discharged, he and a friend drove a car to California where he worked and enrolled in auto technician classes for a year. Upon returning home to Iowa, he began dating his sister’s best friend Mary Lou Hedges. They dated a year and a half, got engaged on her birthday, June 17, and married July 3, 1955, in Harris, IA. They were blessed with five children: Connie, Cindy, Chuck, Cheryl, and Cathy, living most of their lives in Ocheyedan in the home where he was raised. He worked several jobs but enjoyed operating heavy equipment the most and worked for Ostermann Construction for many years. In his spare time, he enjoyed walking, biking, fishing, and spending time with his family. His children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were especially important to him. He was a member of the Ocheyedan Methodist Church in Ocheyedan.

In later years, Harold and Mary Lou moved to Milford, across the street from their daughter Cathy. This move enabled them to stay in their home for many years. They both moved to Accura Health Care in Milford in April 2026 after Harold suffered a stroke.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 71 years, Mary Lou and his five children: Connie (Tim) Mueller, Arnolds Park, IA; Cindy Youngdahl-Behrends, Windsor, CO; Chuck (Mariellen) Youngdahl, Marion, IA; Cheryl (Jim) Vierhout, Hull, IA; and Cathy (the late Bart) Bonstetter, Milford, IA; 13 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents Clifford and Dorothy; parents-in-law Harold and Thora (Tritle) Hedges; his sister and brother-in-law, Alice (Clarence) Krikke; three brothers-in-law and three sisters-in-law; a son-in-law Bart Bonstetter; and an infant grandson, Michael James Vierhout.

Harold will be deeply missed by those who love him and cherish his memory.