Dr. Larry Daniels, DVM

Dr. Larry Daniels, DVM of Eldora, Iowa, age 62, died on December 28, 2020 in Unionville, Missouri.

Larry was born on February 17, 1958 in Wrightstown, Pennsylvania. He was the third child of Russel Stradling Daniels and Edith Jean (Lightkep) Daniels. Larry attended Council Rock High School, graduating in May of 1976 and then attended Penn State for two years. Larry was accepted into the College of Veterinary Medicine at Iowa State University and started classes in the Fall of 1979, graduating with a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Degree in May of 1983. While at Iowa State, he met his future wife: a farm girl enrolled in the Landscape Architecture program. On May 22, 1982, he married Peggy Louise Rash of Union Iowa. Larry and Peggy welcomed two children to their lives: Benjamin Ross Daniels and Laura Jo Daniels. Larry worked as a partner in the Rivervale Veterinary Clinic in Union from 1983 until 2000. He was a Beef Specialist for Land O Lakes for a few years, then worked for Prairieland Coop and several Iowa Cooperatives before starting his own feed and livestock sales & consulting company, Midwest Livestock Resources.

The family will be directing memorial donations to the Hope Lodge in Iowa City that provides lodging for cancer patients at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics and the Hardin County 4-H Program. No funeral or memorial services will be held at the present time and memorials may be sent to Peggy Rash-Daniels at 25645 T Avenue, Eldora, IA 50627.

Larry was born on his parent’s Eastern Pennsylvania farm in a winter blizzard. The local doctor drove as far as he could to get to the farmhouse and walked the rest of the way. Later the National Guard transported baby Larry and Mom, Jean to the hospital by helicopter. Both were healthy!

While growing up, Larry spent many happy hours with his dad, Russel hunting in Pennsylvania. He enjoyed playing some baseball. He really enjoyed raising sheep and showing sheep and beef cattle. He was an active 4-H member. Larry was the Northeast Premier Livestock Judging winner as a junior in high school. He spent many hours showing sheep for other sheep owners and “fitting” sheep. He had a special ewe named Patricia Ann that he showed in contests. She was very well trained and would stand still while he let go of her and walked around her in the show ring. He worked part time for a veterinary office in Pennsylvania while in high school.

As a collegian, Larry enjoyed bragging on Penn State and the football team. Larry remembered Joe Paterno taking role call as the football team showed up and entered the library on weeknights. Larry was on the meat judging team at Penn State and had many stories about traveling to competitions. Larry came to Iowa State University to study veterinary medicine and there met Peggy Rash, a farm girl, who won his heart.

Together Larry and his family enjoyed the outdoors by hunting. Larry taught Peggy, Ben and Laura to shoot and fish. They spent time hunting deer, pheasant, and ducks. Larry loved to hunt fox, coyotes, raccoons and to listen to the walker dogs track and tree raccoons. Larry trapped snapping turtles and leather back turtles one summer to sell to a Missouri man that supplied restaurants. As a father, he was very proud to take Ben or Laura hunting and, rather than shoot himself, watch them shoot a deer or turkey. Through 38 plus years, Larry and Peggy raised cattle, purebred sheep, purebred pigs, chickens, bought and sold properties, gardened, milked a few goats, and had a commercial cattle feed yard.

Larry had a passion for raising and caring for animals. He could spend hours watching a pig, calf or lamb eating their feed. He was very happy when he could snuggle with a dog or cat. Larry enjoyed traveling to Door County to fish in Lake Michigan two times on a charter boat with Peggy, Ben and Laura. Before marrying Peggy, Larry took her ocean fishing off the New Jersey coast. It was very cold in November, but they caught over 100 whiting fish and some mackerel. Then they had to clean all those fish…

Larry discovered how much fun it was to look for edible mushrooms. He and Peggy loved to look for wildflowers. He enjoyed watching Peggy get so excited over newly found plants and cutting wildflowers in their wetland easement acres to make beautiful bouquets.

Larry has served on the Hardin County Pork Producers Board, Hardin County Cattlemen’s Board, Hardin County Zoning Board, and as an advisor to the Hawkeye Community College Livestock Curriculum Committee.

Larry and Peggy bought a lake home on Lake Thunderhead in Missouri after downsizing the animal numbers and the care required. Larry got a boat and could relax and fish for hours.

Larry’s greatest joy was to be able to work with his two children. Ben and Laura each work for Midwest Livestock Resources. He loved watching them grow and develop their knowledge and sales skills. He said he had the best work situation because he got to work with his two kids.

Larry is survived by his loving wife of 38 years, Peggy of Eldora; two children, Benjamin Daniels (Jaime Halstead, friend) of Unionville, MO., and Laura Daniels (Tully Beeghly, friend) of Eldora, IA.; sisters Lindy Janson and Sue Jefferson of Pennsylvania; father-in-law, Joseph Rash; several nieces and nephews and grand dogs.

He was preceded in death by his parents: Russel Daniels and E. Jean Daniels; and mother-in-law Patricia (Fistler) Rash.