Dwayne H. Kay

February 22, 1941 - April 3, 2022

Dwayne H. Kay, age 81, of Storm Lake passed away peacefully April 3, 2022, at the Good Samaritan Society in Newell, Iowa. Funeral Services will be held Friday, April 8, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Storm Lake, Iowa. Burial will be in the Newell Cemetery. Visitation will be held Thursday, April 7, 2022 from 6-8:00 p.m. at the Fratzke and Jensen Funeral Home in STORM LAKE. The Fratzke & Jensen Funeral Home in Storm Lake is in charge of arrangements. Dwayne Harold Kay was born in the Porath Hospital, Storm Lake, on February 22, 1941 to Harold and Lois Kay. He was baptized April 13, 1941 at St. John’s Lutheran Church and confirmed on May 29. He received his education at Truesdale High School, graduating in 1958. On September 25, 1960, Dwayne married Linda Witzke. During the early time of their marriage, he worked construction but began farming in 1963 near Linn Grove. In 1965, Dwayne and Linda moved back to the Truesdale area to farm with Harold. Once retired from farming, Dwayne started Kay Bat Control in 2000. Dwayne and Linda had two boys, Todd and Trent. Dwayne coached little league baseball when the boys were young. He was also active in the community by serving on multiple boards. He served on the Truesdale Elevator board for many years and also on the Buena Vista County Conservation Board for many years. In 1998, Dwayne worked with Chris L. Lloyd and other community people to create the Chris L. Lloyd Swan Restoration Refuge. The committee was instrumental in re-establishing trumpeter swans back into the Northwest Iowa area. Dwayne had countless adventures from deer hunting in Wyoming to fishing in South Dakota. His love of the outdoors included simple activities such tapping Maple trees for syrup and hunting ginseng in the woods. In addition, he trapped turtles during the summer and would return eggs to hatch back into the wild. A passion of Dwayne’s was the sport of trapping. It was not just a seasonal activity for him but a lifestyle. Being on the Board of Directors of the Iowa Trapping Association gave Dwayne the opportunity to be active year-round. He attended every meeting and Iowa convention as well as some National conventions for 43 years. He knew that the conventions were a way to pass on the skills and love of the sport to next generations as well as educate the public about the necessity of trapping. Dwayne would trap all kinds of fur, but he specialized in mink. Trapping was, also, a family business for the Kays with Linda and the boys and eventually grandchildren participation. Dwayne expanded his business into buying local fur to sell to larger buyers and even predator trapped in Mississippi for 5 years. Proudly, Dwayne was honored to be inductions into Iowa Trapper Hall of Fame. Dwayne is survived by his wife, Linda; sons: Todd (Marcia); Trent; their five grandchildren: Tessa (Jacob) Doerksen; Brandon (Sami) Kay; Taryn (Isaak) Unger; Megan (David Gonzalez) Kay; Sydney Kay; great grandchildren: Miyah Gonzalez; Aubrey and Bentley Unger; Jovi, Eve, Mason, and Silas Doerksen; Dax Kay with another girl Kay due in late May; sister: Bev (Gordan) Hoover; nephews: Barry (Deb) and Brook; as well as other extended family and friends. Preceded in death were his father and mother, Harold and Lois Kay, and cousin, Don Christy.