Kelly Lane Fiscus
September 17, 1951 — October 15, 2015
Kelly Lane Fiscus was born on September 17, 1951 to Wayne and Violet (Swensen) Fiscus. He attended Irwin-Kirkman School and graduated in 1970. In 1974, he and Joleen Clark became husband and wife. They had two children, Shilo and Seth.
Kelly worked for a local farmer driving truck then for Plumb Tiling following graduation. In 1971, Kelly went into road construction working for Delta Asphalt until the company sold in 1993. When it was time to go back to work in spring of 1994, he then went to work for Western Engineering. Kelly also worked for Jacob’s Corporation and seasonally for the county during his winters off. He continued employment with Western until the fall of 2015 when his health forced him to take leave and he passed shortly thereafter, having acquired the age of 64 years and 28 days. He was preceded in death by his father Wayne Fiscus and his sister-in-law and good friend Carol (Rasmussen) Fiscus.
Kelly touched a lot of lives in his 64 years. People who knew him, loved him because he made it easy. He made you feel comfortable. Kelly was the kind of guy to offer you the shirt off of his back, $20 out of his wallet, and always a beer out of the fridge in the shed; “coldest beer in Kirkman” he would say. What’s yours was his. If you needed to borrow something, you were welcome to it. If you needed a hand, he was happy to help.
In his spare time, Kelly enjoyed hunting, fishing, and tinkering on his various projects. He tinkered from the time his was small, beginning with an old Model T in the back yard. In his early years, Kelly spent a great deal of time at “Fred’s” in Kirkman where he and Fred and the guys would tinker with vehicles and farm machinery while drinking a couple of cold ones. Later in life, he was often seen driving around in his Willys Jeep or on his Farmall tractor (and also working on them in the backyard from time to time). Kelly was quite the gardener and was always very proud of his various seasonal gardens through the years. He always said that he was going to go smaller next year, but never did. He enjoyed tending the garden and giving away the fruits of his labor to neighbors, family, and friends. Kelly also loved music and had a very eclectic collection.
Kelly was a hard worker and he took a lot pride in his work whether it was running the paver, or tending to his home and big ole backyard. He worked long hours to provide for his family without complaint. He was the most proud of his children and grandchildren; his face would light up whenever his grandkids entered the room. While it was no secret that Kelly liked to stay close to home, if anyone could get him to venture outside of his comfort zone, it was his family. They took several memorable family vacations together.
He is survived by his daughter Shilo and her husband Jeff Bladt of Harlan, Iowa; his son Seth Fiscus of Harlan, Iowa; their mother Joleen (Clark) Fiscus of Harlan; two grandchildren Hannah and Samuel Bladt; his mother Violet (Swensen) Fiscus of Harlan, Iowa; his brother Terry Fiscus of Kirkman, Iowa; his nieces and nephews, as well as great nieces and nephews; and many other extended family and good friends.
The family would like to recognize all those who have stopped by to visit, those who have given care packages and those who have been keeping them in their thoughts these last few weeks as it is much appreciated. It has been heartwarming to be reminded of how many people care and their heartfelt thanks goes out to you all.
Kelly worked for a local farmer driving truck then for Plumb Tiling following graduation. In 1971, Kelly went into road construction working for Delta Asphalt until the company sold in 1993. When it was time to go back to work in spring of 1994, he then went to work for Western Engineering. Kelly also worked for Jacob’s Corporation and seasonally for the county during his winters off. He continued employment with Western until the fall of 2015 when his health forced him to take leave and he passed shortly thereafter, having acquired the age of 64 years and 28 days. He was preceded in death by his father Wayne Fiscus and his sister-in-law and good friend Carol (Rasmussen) Fiscus.
Kelly touched a lot of lives in his 64 years. People who knew him, loved him because he made it easy. He made you feel comfortable. Kelly was the kind of guy to offer you the shirt off of his back, $20 out of his wallet, and always a beer out of the fridge in the shed; “coldest beer in Kirkman” he would say. What’s yours was his. If you needed to borrow something, you were welcome to it. If you needed a hand, he was happy to help.
In his spare time, Kelly enjoyed hunting, fishing, and tinkering on his various projects. He tinkered from the time his was small, beginning with an old Model T in the back yard. In his early years, Kelly spent a great deal of time at “Fred’s” in Kirkman where he and Fred and the guys would tinker with vehicles and farm machinery while drinking a couple of cold ones. Later in life, he was often seen driving around in his Willys Jeep or on his Farmall tractor (and also working on them in the backyard from time to time). Kelly was quite the gardener and was always very proud of his various seasonal gardens through the years. He always said that he was going to go smaller next year, but never did. He enjoyed tending the garden and giving away the fruits of his labor to neighbors, family, and friends. Kelly also loved music and had a very eclectic collection.
Kelly was a hard worker and he took a lot pride in his work whether it was running the paver, or tending to his home and big ole backyard. He worked long hours to provide for his family without complaint. He was the most proud of his children and grandchildren; his face would light up whenever his grandkids entered the room. While it was no secret that Kelly liked to stay close to home, if anyone could get him to venture outside of his comfort zone, it was his family. They took several memorable family vacations together.
He is survived by his daughter Shilo and her husband Jeff Bladt of Harlan, Iowa; his son Seth Fiscus of Harlan, Iowa; their mother Joleen (Clark) Fiscus of Harlan; two grandchildren Hannah and Samuel Bladt; his mother Violet (Swensen) Fiscus of Harlan, Iowa; his brother Terry Fiscus of Kirkman, Iowa; his nieces and nephews, as well as great nieces and nephews; and many other extended family and good friends.
The family would like to recognize all those who have stopped by to visit, those who have given care packages and those who have been keeping them in their thoughts these last few weeks as it is much appreciated. It has been heartwarming to be reminded of how many people care and their heartfelt thanks goes out to you all.
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