Pat Fehring

Pat Fehring

1954 – 2026

Pat Fehring was a witty guy. He was a gentleman and a scholar. He was humble and lovable and an alright guy. If you asked him how he was feeling, he was likely to say, “Just grand.”

Patrick Henry Gerald Fehring was born in Storm Lake, on May 7, 1954, to Norbert and Helen (Klocke) Fehring. With his three older brothers, he grew up on a farm near Varina, Iowa, going to school in Pocahontas, Iowa, through seventh grade. His family then moved to Lenox, Iowa, where Pat graduated from high school in 1972. Pat was active in sports, music, and plays at school. Pat graduated from Tarkio College in Tarkio, Missouri, with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

Pat taught fifth grade for 33 years in Red Oak, Iowa. He was the funny teacher with high expectations who made all his students feel welcome and seen. He loved teaching and loved the way 10- and 11-year-old students were popping their heads up and becoming aware of the world around them. He spent years getting up at 4 a.m. to grade papers and prepare for the day. After retiring from teaching, Pat served as a courier for Horn Memorial Hospital in Ida Grove for several years.

Pat met his future wife, Marcia Moore, at Tarkio College. It was chemistry from the start, as Pat was the chemistry lab assistant when Marcia was a freshman. Pat and Marcia were married on Aug. 12, 1978, and celebrated 47 wonderful years last summer. They had so much fun in college and the early years of their marriage with many great friends. Much joy was added to their lives with the birth of daughters Heidi in 1984 and Rachel in 1986. Pat was an active and involved dad, being primary caregiver every summer, and enjoying their company before and after school in his classroom. He loved reading to his daughters as much as he loved reading to his students, complete with distinctive voices for each character. He was so proud of everything his daughters did: school, dancing, sports, band and music, leadership roles, and just being nice and kind people. He always advised them to say please and thank you and to help pick up.

Pat loved music and would win trivia contests about artists and bands of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. He was proud of his stereo system. He collected albums, CDs, and tapes, and he especially enjoyed choosing the music for a party or get together. Pat and Marcia loved to dance, with spins and dips. They attended many concerts, and Pat could have told you about every one of them. He also enjoyed going to concerts with his daughters and with friends.

Pat played many sports, especially baseball when he was young, where he pitched and played first base. Sports were important in his adult life, including softball, basketball, tennis, table tennis, bowling, and lots of golf. He enjoyed card games and cribbage. He made every game fun, with small bets and plenty of relaxation afterward.

Pat was active in Jaycees, the Elks Club, the Iowa State Education Association, and the Red Oak Country Club Board of Directors. He was a previous member of the Red Oak Presbyterian Church and a current member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in West Des Moines.

Pat and Marcia traveled to all 50 of the United States. They enjoyed many family vacations, putting 5,500 miles on their van on one summer trip. They also traveled to Mexico, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, and several Caribbean Islands. Pat really enjoyed the cruises they took. They joined favorite artist Delbert McClinton’s Sandy Beaches Blues Cruise in 2010 and 2023 with good friends. They went on cruises in Alaska, Hawaii, and a special family Disney Cruise in 2018 celebrating Pat and Marcia’s 40th anniversary.

Family was always the most important part of Pat’s life. Five grandchildren added immense joy to Pat and Marcia’s life, and they cherished every moment with every grandchild. They retired to Urbandale, Iowa, in 2019, and were incredibly blessed this past year when both daughters and their families lived within 10 minutes of them.

Pat was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012, changed to a diagnosis of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) in 2017, a rare neurological disease. This brought many challenges, but Pat maintained his sense of humor and his positive attitude. He passed away peacefully from MSA in the loving presence of his wife and two daughters early in the morning on Jan. 3, 2026, at age 71.

Left to cherish Pat’s memory are his beloved wife, Marcia, of Urbandale, Iowa; daughters and sons-in-law, Heidi and Adam Drake and Rachel and Lee Grossman; grandchildren Aubrey and Josie Drake, and Irene, Henry and Nolan Grossman; mother-in-law Ardis Moore; sisters-in-law Kris Fehring, Kathy Moore (Rich Klinman), and Sylvia (Sly) Moore; and nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends.

Pat was preceded in death by his parents, Norb and Helen Fehring, brothers Jerry, Jack, and Matt Fehring, father-in-law Wendell Moore, brother-in-law Richard (Dick) Moore, sister-in-law Paula Fehring, and nephew Nick Fehring.

Pat would have greeted you with “Top o’ the day” in the morning and “Good night, God bless you, see you in the morning” at night. We would love it if you would toast his life with a cold beer, a tasty gin and tonic, or a good old root beer.

Pat was under the care of UnityPoint Hospice over the past nine months. Marcia and family are so grateful for their tender care and help during this time, with special recognition to his nurse, Donna.

A funeral service will be held 10:30 a.m., Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1025 28th Street, West Des Moines, Iowa. Burial will follow at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines. Visitation will take place 5-7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 8, at Iles Westover Chapel, 6337 Hickman Road, Des Moines.

Memorial contributions may be directed to Mission MSA.

Condolences are welcome at www.IlesCares.com. Arrangements by Iles Westover Chapel.