Delores Pyle, 78, of Okoboji passed away on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at Good Samaritan Society in Estherville, IA.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Delores will be held at 10:30 am Saturday, November 7, 2026, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spirit Lake, IA. A rosary will be recited at 9:15 am on Saturday morning at the church followed by a visitation to be held up until the time of the service on Saturday at the church. The Mass will be lived streamed on the church’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/@st.maryscatholicchurch-spi8082 Burial will take place in the St. Margarets Cemetery in Spirit Lake. Arrangements are under the direction of the Robinson Funeral Home in Spirit Lake, IA. Online condolences may be left at www.spiritlakefuneralhome.com
Delores Mary “Dee” (Fettes) Pyle, 78, of Okoboji, Iowa passed away on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, at Good Samaritan Society in Estherville, Iowa.
Dee was born on February 4, 1948, in Sibley, Iowa, to Gregory Peter and Helen Anna (Dingel) Fettes. She was one of ten children and grew up on the family farm outside Sibley, where she spent her days outdoors building forts and climbing trees with her brothers and sisters. The family attended St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Sibley, and as a young girl Dee dreamed of becoming a nun. Her path changed over time, but her calling to serve others stayed with her for the rest of her life.
Dee graduated from high school in 1966, and shortly afterward she met and married Timothy Pyle. After Tim’s military service in Virginia Beach, Virginia, they returned to Iowa and made their home in Hartley. There they raised their three children, Stephanie, Charles, and Timothy. Dee and Tim later divorced in the late 1980s.
Dee then began a new chapter with courage and determination. She earned her Associate of Science degree from Iowa Lakes Community College and became the administrator of Ruthven Community Care Center. She led the center for more than 18 years and helped build the foundation of what it is today. Under her leadership, it grew from a small local nursing home into a full continuing care retirement community. The center added The Villa independent living apartments and expanded its short-term rehabilitation wing. Dee believed that young and old belonged together. She organized volunteer events with local preschoolers and hosted an Easter egg hunt, where she delighted everyone by appearing in a large bunny costume.
Dee’s dedication reached beyond Ruthven. She served as a regional leader, representing the facility at the state level. She worked alongside the Iowa Health Care Association to advocate at the State Capitol for rural, community-owned health care.
Retirement never slowed her heart for helping others. Dee went on to work at the Cherish Center, caring for young mothers and their children. She also worked with Visiting Angels, caring for people in their own homes. She gave many families peace of mind, knowing their parents and loved ones were safe and cared for in the comfort of home.
Throughout her life, Dee was guided by her deep Catholic faith, which shaped the way she cared for others. She welcomed everyone with an open heart, and no one was ever a stranger at her door. She also loved to bake, and her homemade bread, caramel rolls, and chocolate chip cookies were a source of joy for everyone lucky enough to share them. Some of her favorite moments were spent in the kitchen baking alongside her grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and great-nieces, passing on her recipes along the way. Baking was one of the many ways she showed her love.
Above all, Dee treasured her grandchildren. She cherished the time spent with them on her sons’ farms in South Dakota and Pennsylvania, sharing in farm life with the animals and making memories together. Her oldest grandchildren loved spending time with Grandma at the Ruthven care center, where she worked. They visited the residents and always enjoyed a treat of Lakeland ice cream together. Those days meant the world to her, and to them.
Dee will be dearly missed by her children, Stephanie (David) Trotter, Charles (Amanda) Pyle, and Timothy (Lindsey) Pyle, and her grandchildren, Danielle, Alex, Abby, Leah, Anna, Sage, Emmanuel, Michael and Penelope, and great grandchildren, Amelia, Elizah and Isaac. She also leaves behind her siblings: Donald (Ginny) Fettes of Mankato, Minnesota; Ruth (Joseph) Lakers of Des Moines, Iowa; Rita (Jim) Pyle of Milford, Iowa; Bill (Lynda) Fettes of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Alan (Deb) Fettes of Spirit Lake, Iowa; and Loretta (Joseph George) Callahan of Vancouver, Washington. She is also survived by her brothers-in-law, Tim Baland of Battle Lake, Minnesota, and Bill Wallace of Odebolt, Iowa. Her many nieces and nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews, and great-great-nieces and great-great-nephews will miss her as well.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Gregory and Helen Fettes, and her sisters, Susan Johnson, Rachel Wallace and Carol Baland.
The family is deeply grateful to the many relatives and friends who surrounded Dee with love and support, and to the staff of St. Croix Hospice and Good Samaritan Society in Estherville for the compassionate care they gave her in her final days.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be given to the Cherish Center (https://cherishcenter.org/donate/), where Dee loved to work and helped so many women and children, or to a charity of your choice.
May she rest in peace.