The late Diehl remembered

Former mayor Fred Diehl was an instrumental spokesman for the city of Osceola. There’s going to be a void without Diehl’s presence in the community.

“He was a leader,” said Ty Wheeler, city administrator/clerk. “He was challenging for me. He expected a lot. He pushed us, but he was, without a doubt, Osceola’s biggest cheerleader. Very much so.”

Diehl, 80, died Monday, Sept. 12, at Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines.

Native son

He was born in Leon on Aug. 24, 1936, and was raised on the family farm in Clarke County. He graduated from Osceola High School in 1954.

Diehl received his Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural education with a minor in communications at Iowa State University in 1958. He married his high-school sweetheart, Annabelle Stansell, in 1957.

Diehl received his commission in ROTC at Iowa State and served in the U.S. Army Artillery unit for six months and the remainder of his eight-year term in the U.S. Army Reserves, attaining the rank of first lieutenant.

The proud Clarke County native owned Fred Diehl Insurance Center on the square in Osceola from 1971 to 1996.

City service

After selling his business, he stayed active in the community with mayoral duties and substitute teaching. He served nine terms as mayor, starting his service in 1994.

Wheeler said Diehl’s legacy will be one of continual support and promotion of Osceola. He was someone who believed the city should hold itself to a higher standard, which is evident in his push for aggressive infrastructure redevelopment, the depot restoration and Clarke County Reservoir project.

“He was a good leader,” Wheeler said. “He had a very sound knowledge of the city, of its past, where it had been and how it had gotten to this point. He was pretty blunt in his critique and wasn’t afraid to come out and offer criticism — constructive, most of the time.”

The city administrator said Diehl fostered healthy and supportive working relationships and never made a show of his expectations of others.

‘A good man’

“When we got to a meeting, he was business,” Wheeler said. “He was very supportive, and I think that’s why he was effective.”

Many officials had the chance to work alongside Diehl throughout his career in public service.

“He was a good a man and he tried to do the best he could for the city of Osceola,” said Councilman Dave Walkup. “That’s just the way he was.”

Walkup also described how Diehl was instrumental in bringing Lakeside Hotel and Casino to the city.

Train depot

One of Diehl’s biggest improvements was his decades-long push to restore Osceola’s historic train depot.

In August, Diehl and his wife were honored with the dedication of the train depot park being named the Fred and Ann Diehl Depot Plaza.

It’s fitting Diehl was able to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony held at the train depot Aug. 1.

The event drew a large crowd from the community, and the Diehls were honored for spearheading the efforts.

There was nobody quite like Diehl, and he will be missed by many throughout the city and state.

“He’s made it a better place. There’s no question about that,” Walkup said.