Gerry Drake

Gerry Kenneth Drake, age 89, of Coon Rapids, IA, passed away on Friday, July 31, 2026 at Thomas Rest Haven in Coon Rapids.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, August 8, 2026 at the Church of Christ in Bayard with Bob Rogers officiating. Casket bearers will be Mark Drake, Jeff Drake, Clint Drake, Matt Brunk, Jason Brunk, and Nyle Hay. Burial will be in the Dodge Cemetery near Bayard with military honors conducted by the Guthrie Center American Legion.

Visitation will be held at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids from 5 – 7 P.M. on Friday, August 7, 2026. The casket will be moved to the Church of Christ in Bayard on Saturday at 9:30 A.M. where visitation will resume until 10:15 A.M. prior to the service.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com

Gerry was born at home near Imogene, Iowa, on February 25, 1937 to George Kenneth and Annie Laurie (Plows) Drake. He graduated from Essex High School in 1955; having served in the Iowa National Guard during his junior and senior years. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1955. He was a Radar Operator during enlistment serving on Cheju Island, Korea for one year. Gerry attained the rank of Airman 1st Class. He married Rita Mae Bengston on June 15, 1958 and they had four sons. The couple later divorced. After his discharge from the Air Force in 1959 he worked for Eastern Airlines in Chicago as a Radio Operator at Midway Airport. After a couple years the family moved to Essex, Iowa, and he worked first for Johnson Brothers running a portable mill and then for Essex Elevator. The family then moved to Clarinda, Iowa, and he managed the Clarinda Elevator. In 1968, he joined with three partners and purchased the Bagley, Iowa Elevator. He managed it until it was sold in 1991.

Gerry was married to Paulette Garwood on January 14, 1983 and the couple later divorced. He served as Mayor of Bagley, President of the Bagley Lions Club, and he served on the Bagley Fire Department. He was also a member of the Guthrie Center American Legion. Gerry was a member of the Bayard Church of Christ and served on the board for many years. He was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed fishing and snowmobiling.

Gerry married Alice Brunk on October 14, 2006 in Alton, Illinois. In later years he enjoyed working with wood and driving mail routes for Roger Griffin out of Des Moines, Iowa. He worked planting and harvesting for Jim and Pat Murrane. He also enjoyed farming with Nyle Hay and yearly family camping trips to Minnesota. He enjoyed living and working on his acreage south of Bayard from 1983 – 2011 when they moved into Coon Rapids. He worked at the Bayard Elevator loading trains for a number of years. Gerry always worked hard and enjoyed good health until suffering two strokes in 2017.

Gerry is survived by his wife Alice of nineteen years of Coon Rapids; four sons: Tod (Linda) Drake of Panora; Mark (Christine) Drake of Bagley, Jeff (Pam) Drake of Freeport, Illinois, and Clint (Ashley) Drake of Panora; two step-sons: Matt (Jennifer) Brunk of Liberty, Missouri, and Jason Brunk of Des Moines; six grandchildren: Nathan (Kaylee) Drake of Boise, Idaho, Nicole (Drew) Niebuhr of Ankeny, Cody Drake of Freeport, Illinois, Shayna Drake of Lena, Illinois, and Elizabeth and Allison Drake of Bagley; eleven step-grandchildren: Abigail Nelson, Anthony (Tamara) Sheeder, Christopher (Kassi) Sheeder, Emily Drake (Justin Roetman), Hunter and Avery Hines, Anne, Emily, and Mia Brunk, Autumn and Joselyn Brunk; six great-grandchildren; seven step great-grandchildren; two sisters: Pat Tillman and Sandy Correll of Essex; a sister-in-law Nancy Drake of Wilton; a brother-in-law Dave Matheny of Hutto, Texas; and several nieces and nephews.

Gerry was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers: Jim Drake and Don Drake; two sisters: Mary Jo Waddle and Teri Matheny; three brothers-in-law: Dan Correll, Leland Tillman and Herb Waddle; and a sister-in-law Judy Drake.