Steven Wayne Walters Sr.
February 11, 1949 - March 6, 2023

Steven W Walters Sr. passed away on March 6, 2023. He was born on February 11, 1949, in Leon, Iowa to Wayne and Mildred Walters. Steve passed away due to cancer. An obituary full of words cannot express what a wonderful man Steve was. Words alone cannot express the loss felt by his family and friends.

Services will be held 11 a.m. Monday, March 13, 2023 at Overton Funeral Home in Indianola.  Visitation will be held prior to services from 9:30 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home.  Inurnment with Military Rites will be held at 2 p.m. Monday in the Iowa Veterans Cemetery, Adel, IA

As the oldest child of five, Steve was a hard worker. Growing up, he held a variety of jobs ranging from shoveling snow for neighbors, delivering newspapers, and even riding one of those bicycles with a freezer on the back full of ice cream treats. He loved ringing the bell! Steve always saved his money to buy special items like a new bicycle. He’d often buy boxes of Snickers; one of his favorite treats.

He graduated from North High School in Des Moines, Iowa in 1967. After high school, he attended Centerville Community College for one semester before getting a draft notice from Uncle Sam. He served two years in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Berlin Germany. He had many stories of what it was like to drive an Army vehicle into East Berlin during the time that the Berlin Wall existed. When his parents came to visit, he was honored to take them to many great cities in Europe. They even got to see brothels in Amsterdam.

Returning to Des Moines in 1970, he met his wife, Jan, before joining the Des Moines Police Department (DMPD) in 1971. Although he had several roles on the DMPD, he loved working the southside.

After being injured on the job, Steve retired and began a new career. He became a farmer. Steve loved working outside. After he bought a new skid loader, it became a family joke when people asked what Steve was doing, we’d tell them that he was out back moving dirt. He moved a lot of dirt. He regularly put in twelve-hour days with his cow/calf operation. He was so grateful for all the help that neighbors Kevin and Eric Middleswart provided over the past twenty-five years, especially after Steve was diagnosed with cancer.

Once his wife retired, they traveled across Europe, South America and enjoyed many cruises in the Caribbean. (Steve would probably say “too many cruises”) But as long as he had a balcony and lots of magazines or books, he was content.

Steve was always surrounded by great friends and family. Steve was the center of the laughter and fun times. There were instances when complete strangers would approach our table and ask to join us because we were having so much fun. There are so many memories of us laughing and carrying on. We were even asked to leave a beach in Hawaii because we were too loud.

Besides being a hard worker, Steve was always there to help out a friend or neighbor. Although Steve had much to be proud of, he was proudest of his children and grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Jan, a son, Steven Walters Jr. (Amy Hill), and their children Alex, Alivia, and Jameson; daughter, Jenny (Jeff) Foster and their children, Jacob and Jackson.

Steve is also survived by sisters; Linda (Joe) Phillips, Brenda (Jeff) Jensen, Renee Walters; all from the Des Moines area, and a brother, Michael (Kelly) Walters in Indiana. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Mildred Walters.

Cancer is a vicious disease. It doesn’t care who you are, what you still want to do in life or how much you are loved. Steve always had an annual exam. Yet, he was one of the unfortunate ones to develop aggressive prostate cancer. We urge people to get routine examinations and know your family history.

Our family wants to thank all the doctors (Dr. Brian Freeman and Carissa Thompson) and nurses at Mercy One Cancer Center for their assistance and compassion during Steve’s illness and treatment. Special thanks to Wesley Life Hospice at the Village in Indianola. The staff at the Village were so compassionate and answered all our questions throughout the process. Steve so appreciated all the care he received. 

Memorials may be given, in Steve's name, to the American Cancer Society.