Allen "Al" Way

Allen “Al” Way, age 71, passed away on Monday, August 28, 2017 at his home in Carroll. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Friday, September 8, 2017 at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Carroll with Fr. Kevin Richter as Celebrant. Lector for the Mass will be Phil Phillips. Gift bearers will be Al’s grandchildren. Eucharistic ministers will be Deacon David Prenger, Vickie Boes, and Eileen Heinold. Music for the Mass will be by vocalist Kathleen Macke and pianist Mary Blinn. The Carroll American Legion will form an honor guard at the church for the funeral Mass. Friends may call at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll after 5 p.m.on Thursday, September 7, 2017. A Christian wake service will be held at 7 p.m. followed by a rosary. Visitation will resume at Holy Spirit Church at 9 a.m. on Friday until the time of Mass. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Carroll and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com. A private graveside service will be held at the Iowa Veteran’s Cemetary in Van Meter, Iowa. Military honors will be given at the cemetery by the Iowa National Guard. In lieu of flowers, the family suggest memorials be made to Domus Trinitatis or VA Central Iowa to support the Carroll Community Based Outpatient Clinic and may be left at the funeral home or the church. Born on February 23, 1946 in Salem, Oregon, he was the son of Charles and Eileen (Ecklund) Way Smith. During his childhood, he lived in West Long Branch, NJ, Wichita,KS, and Fremont, NE where he graduated from Fremont High School in 1964. He attended the University of Iowa and graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Marketing. Al was married to Sue Ellen Jensen on June 17, 1967 at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in Davenport by Fr. William Meyer. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1969, completed basic training at Fort Lewis, graduated top of his non-commissioned officer (NCO) class at Fort Benning receiving the Leadership Award, and served nearly 12 months as a combat platoon staff sergeant in Ahn Khe, Vietnam. Al was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Army Commendation Medal with Combat “V” for his heroism, meritorious achievement and valor. Upon his honorable discharge from the Army in 1971, Al and Sue lived in Des Moines where he worked as a State Narcotics Agent. He was later promoted to Director of the North Iowa Crime Commission in Mason City and then appointed by Governor Robert D. Ray to Director of the Iowa Crime Commission in 1975. He was the youngest state crime commissioner in the nation at that time. In 1978, Al and Sue relocated their family from Des Moines to Carroll and purchased the L.A. Smith Beer Distributing Company from his mother and step-father, L.A. “Jack” Smith. Al was an active member of the Carroll community for many years. He served on various committees at Holy Spirit Catholic Church and was a member of several boards and committees for Holy Spirit Grade School and Kuemper Catholic High School while his children were students. He served on the Carroll City Council during and was instrumental in the urban renewal of Carroll. Al is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sue of Carroll; two daughters: Heather Nahas (Ted) of Urbandale and Meredith Smith (Matthew) of Des Moines; a son Christopher Way (Jennifer) of Seven Valleys, PA; nine grandchildren: Tom and John Nahas; Abigail, Matthew, and Emily Way; and Grace, Lily, Sam, and Levi Smith; three sisters Pam Story (Bruce) of Kyle, Texas; Susie Parker (Bill) of Oklahoma City, OK; and Cathy Squires (Tom) of Omaha, NE; and brother and sisters-in-law Richard and Caryl Jensen of Williamsburg; Mary Jo Jensen of Davenport; and Barbara Jensen of Middleton, WI. He is preceded in death by his parents Charles Way, Eileen Smith and step-father Jack Smith; his father and mother-in-law Leo and Edna Jensen; and brothers and sisters-in-law Helen Hungerford, Elizabeth Jensen, Francis Jensen, Leo and Jean Marie Jensen, Joanne and Bob Crum, Nancy and Lou Bakeris, Diane and Alex Alpert, Tom Jensen, Jack Jensen and David Jensen.