Royal "Red" Dohler

Royal “Red” Dohler, of St. Ansgar, Iowa, passed away on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, at Mitchell County Regional Health Center in Osage, Iowa. Royal was born on September 28, 1941, in New Underwood, South Dakota, to Grace (Shaffer) and Jerry Dohler. He was their only son and he had three sisters: Dora, Una, and Sandy. His family moved to St. Ansgar, Iowa, when he was in the 5th grade. He attended St. Ansgar public schools and graduated in 1959.

In 1961, Royal married Barbara Jean McNutt. They were blessed with three beautiful daughters: Dawn, Tracy, and Carmen. The family enjoyed many vacations where Royal entertained the girls by singing "Home on the Range" and quizzing them on state capitals. He and Barb took great joy in watching the girls participate in various sporting events, musical performances, and 4-H activities, as well as teaching them how to play countless card games.

Royal was a talented metalworker and inventor, creating various devices for farm machinery tailored to the changing seasons. His welding career began at White Farm in Charles City, IA, where he worked for 20 years. During this time, he also worked part-time for Wold Wheel and Rim. After retiring from White Farm in 1981, he began working solely for Wold's, which gave him more time to spend with family, friends, golfing, fishing, and cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes. He retired fully in 2015.

In 2012, Royal married Monika Sorenson. Together, they enjoyed many happy years of traveling, camping, pontoon boating, golfing, playing 7 Up, and spending cherished moments with each other and their friends.

In 2019, Royal required a Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD). He set a record at the University of Minnesota for extending his life with the LVAD, an achievement that included 4 ½ years of dialysis.

Royal's eight grandchildren and four great-grandchildren brought him immense joy. He taught them many life lessons, especially about winning gracefully and losing with even more grace. He will be deeply missed for his wisdom, sharp wit, heartwarming stories, and infectious smile.

Royal is survived by his wife, Monika; daughters, Dawn of Fort Dodge, IA, and Tracy (Stenseth) of Cedar Rapids, IA; son-in-law, Barry Groe, of Charleston, WV; stepson, Doug Sorenson (Angie) of Mason City, IA; grandchildren, Logan (Stenseth) of Minneapolis, MN, Kendall (Stenseth) of Clarksville, TN, Emma (Groe) of Charleston, WV, Zach (Groe) of Charleston, WV, Michael (Nelson), Taylor (Hedegard), Olivia (Sorenson), and Dylan (Nelson); and great-grandchildren, McKade, Nash, Ryan, and Remington; sisters, Dona Biederman of Osage, IA, Una Bleess Gerdes (John) of Blue Earth, MN, Sandra (Marvin) Hulshizer of Georgetown, Tx; brothers-in-law, Robert (Sheri) McNutt of St. Ansgar, IA, and David McNutt of St. Ansgar, IA.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara; his parents, Jerry and Grace; his daughters, Carmen (Groe), Cassie Nelson; son-in-law, Eric Stenseth; and brother-in-law, Dick Biederman.

A Celebration of Royal’s Life will be held on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at St. Ansgar United Methodist Church, located at 510 West 4th Street. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the St. Ansgar Rescue Squad or the United Methodist Church.

Hoff Celebrations – Schroeder Chapel of St. Ansgar is assisting the family with arrangements.