Fred Lloyd Rabe, Jr.

Fred Lloyd Rabe, Jr., the son of Fred Sr. and Freda (Ruhs) Rabe, was born February 24, 1927, at his parents’ home in Hamlin Township, Audubon County, Iowa and died May 10, 2020, at the Exira Care Center in Exira, Iowa at the age of 93 years.

Fred was baptized and confirmed at the Methodist Church in Audubon, Iowa. He attended rural school “Brushy College” in Hamlin Township and graduated from Audubon High School in 1945. In June 1946, he enlisted in the US Army. He served as a mechanic while stationed in occupied Japan. Fred was honorably discharged in October 1947.

On June 2, 1950, he was united in marriage to Barbara Eagen at the Methodist Church in Audubon. They were parents of four children, Rosalie, Colleen, Ronell, and Steven. They rented a farm east of Hamlin, Iowa where they grew row crops. Later they purchased their own farm and the homeplace where Fred raised hogs and cattle and operated a large laying house with 5,500 chickens.

In 1984, they moved to Sun City, Arizona. Fred’s love of the land continued in Arizona where he was in charge of the landscaping for the Mountain Shadows Complex in Scottsdale. During the summers they would travel to Audubon in their 5th wheel and camp at Albert the Bull Park. Fred worked at G&L Lawn and Landscaping until he fully retired at 85 years old. He enjoyed going out to their farm on his four-wheeler where he continued to care for the land. In 2016, Fred moved to the Exira Care Center in Exira, Iowa.

Fred was an active member of the Methodist Church, both in Audubon and Sun City, Arizona. He was proud to have donated over ten gallons of blood through the years. He was a member of PRIDES, a volunteer group which assisted in keeping Sun City beautiful. He was a founding member of the Audubon Farmers Co-op and a member of the Audubon American Legion Post No. 120.

Preceding him in death were his daughter-in-law, Sandi Rabe; his great-grandson, Jackson Rabe; his parents; his sister, Mary Lou and husband Orin Holstad; his brothers-in-law: Marvin Jensen, Robert Eagen, Louis Carlson; and sister-in-law, Harriet Eagen.

Survivors include his wife, Barbara Rabe of Audubon, Iowa; his children: Rosalie (Don) Babcock of Indianola, Iowa; Colleen (Tom) Madsen of Audubon; Ronell (Rob) Nymand of Brayton, Iowa; and Steven (Kristi) Rabe of Rockwell City, Iowa; his grandchildren: JoLynn Quick, Robyn Babcock, Jessica Babcock, Matthew Weber, Nathan Weber, Scott Weber, Erin Fuller, Jason Hughes, Shane Hughes, Jesse Nymand, Trenton Rabe, Amanda Hansen, Danielle Rabe, and Dane McKenna; 22 great-grandchildren; his sister, Josephine Jensen of Loveland, Colorado; his sisters-in-law, Alice Carlson and Corinne Kellar; and his brother-in-law, Roger Eagen; nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends.

Fred was a wonderful man who never met a stranger, had a great sense of humor, and loved his family and friends with his whole heart.

Visitation will be on Thursday evening, May 14, 2020, from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. at the Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon, Iowa. There will be a private family funeral service held at the Kessler Funeral Home with Pastor Kathy Kluis officiating. Interment will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon. Memorials are preferred to the First United Methodist Church in Audubon, Iowa.

Fred Rabe's funeral service will be streamed via Zoom on Friday, May 15, 2020 at 10:30 A.M. Please follow the below steps to access the broadcast:

***** If you already use the Zoom app, open the app and enter this meeting code: 730 9573 5230 *****

1. Copy and paste the following URL into any web browser on your device: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/73095735230?pwd=VnV1V1hrVzdta2F6ZnNmNGtMQ3dBZz09

2. If a brief download does not start, click the blue link to launch the program.

3. Enter the following password when/if prompted: 3mXV3s

4. Select your audio option (most common is to use computer settings.

5. You will be entered into the broadcast.