Duane G. Jamison

He is survived by his loving wife Sally, four children—Amy Jamison, Christopher Jamison, Jarod Embree, and Nick (Jessica) Embree, two grandchildren—Abby and Owen Embree, five siblings—Doreen Jamison, Cheryl (David) Fees, Mark Jamison, Gary Jamison, and David (Karen) Jamison, special friends of the family, Cathy Holtz and Teri Sieve, loving in-laws, nieces and nephews, and a multitude of friends and other family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, Dwight and Joyce Jamison, and his father and mother- in-law, Francis and Daisy Besser.

Born on December 12, 1949 in Des Moines, Duane spent his first years on a dairy farm in Waukee. The family then moved to Polk City, and he attended North Polk Schools, graduating in 1968. Shortly after graduation, he enlisted in the US Army and served in Vietnam. Upon returning from Vietnam, he enrolled at the University of Iowa and graduated in December 1975 with degrees in finance and business administration. While in college he managed the Coralville Pizza Hut and formed lifelong friendships with his coworkers there. After graduation he worked at Owens Brush Company in Iowa City. In 1980 he moved to Grimes and began working at the Iowa State Capitol Building in finance for the State of Iowa. After a short time, he became the Comptroller for the Department of Public Defense and worked in that position at Camp Dodge for 32 years. He retired in February 2012.

Duane had many and varied passions in life. Over the years, he coached multiple men’s, women’s, and co-ed slow-pitch softball teams, and for 10 years he served as President and Board Member of the Urbandale Slow-Pitch Softball Association. He also coached a co-ed volleyball team. Dewey was an intense fan of the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and had season tickets for Hawkeye football as long as anyone can remember. He even decorated one room in his house with a Hawkeye-theme to show his dedication. He was also an avid fan of Professional Bull Riding (PBR) and traveled to several PBR events including the finals in Las Vegas. Indeed, he loved traveling, especially with Sally. They traveled all over the US and also to Canada, Europe, and Africa. When at home in between trips, he enjoyed gardening in his beautiful backyard and watching the birds and squirrels. He loved collecting memorabilia and was very proud of his beer stein collection and his International Harvester miniature tractor collection (he collected replicas of equipment that his uncles and dad had while they were farming). Finally, he loved western movies, especially anything with John Wayne, western novels, and Looney Tune cartoons.

He was known for his quiet yet mischievous nature, his deep dedication to family and friends, and his love of any social occasion. He was loved by many and will be missed by all who knew him.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Iowa Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org/aboutlls/chapters/ia/) or The University of Iowa Foundation (www.uifoundation.org/).