Michael Laub

Michael (Mike) Dean Laub was born on December 11th, 1966 in Ft. Dodge Iowa.

He became the son of Russell & Sharon Laub on January 9th, 1967.

Mike died July 14, 2019 at Mary Greeley Hospital in Ames, Iowa at the age of 52 years.

His funeral service was held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday July 18, 2019, at the Rippey United Methodist Church. The Rev. Paul Burrow officiated.

Honorary casket bearers were Mark Hamilton, Mark Holz, Allison Laub, Kenny Muir, Brenda Kennedy and Craig McDowell active casket bearers were David McDowell, Greg Phillips, Mitchell Laub, Collin Laub, Colby Laub and Carter Laub.

Musicians were Dick Bardole and Brenda Roberts.

Music was The Lord’s Prayer and How Great Thou Art, with burial in the Rippey Cemetery, Rippey, Iowa. Lunch and fellowship followed the burial. Mike and his parents resided on a farm just NE of Grand Junction until 1974.

Mike loved the farm. He always wanted to be right next to his dad while he was working on the farm.

Tractors, machinery and animals were things Mike loved to be around from an early age.

Mike loved to spend time with his Grandma Laub and she had a special place in her heart for him as well.

He loved helping Grandma pick cherries, bake pies, feed the ducks and chickens and drive a car at a very early age!!  Mike was joined by twin brothers, Kristopher and Kurtis, on September 22nd 1969.  He loved having two new playmates.  The Laub Family moved to Rippey Iowa in 1974 to a new house built by Russ and Sharon on a farm they had purchased a couple of years prior.

Mike continued to enjoy helping Dad on the farm and discovered several other new hobbies at his new home.

Mike found a passion for riding dirt bikes, working on anything with tires and an engine, welding and loved learning more and more about farming.  Mike attended East Greene High School at which he was very involved in FFA.  Mike also discovered he had a knack for spelling and won several spelling bees!

Mike left school early and went back to the farm to help his father.  Through the years Mike also had many different occupations:  ran a combine during the wheat run, worked for Cattle and grain farmers in Nebraska, drove a semi hauling cattle throughout the U.S., worked for Hamilton Ready mix doing dirt work, was a welder for the Todd & Sargent Company, installed gutters and construction. among many others.

He was certainly a jack of all trades

In his most recent years, Mike came back to the farm to help his two brothers with the farming operation.

When Mike returned to the farm, he brought a new friend along, his female dog named Jewels.  The love he had for animals continued to grow and he was very caring of Jewels.

Through the years Mike had become very talented and performed many operations on the farm.  He was a very skilled welder and could fix anything that was metal.  He was a very good mechanic and performed maintenance and repairs on everything on the farm.  He could run any type of machinery that was used on the farm and did so up until his last days.

Mike had battled congestive heart failure for several years that was caused by a leaking heart valve.  Mike passed away on July 14th, 2019 from congestive heart failure and kidney failure in Ames, Iowa.

Mike is preceded in death by his father, Russell Laub, his grandparents Harry & Hilda Laub and Anna and George Challands.

Mike is survived by his mother, Sharon of Rippey, his two brothers and sister in-laws, Kristopher & Jennifer of Johnston, Kurtis & Jennifer of Ankeny, his nephews and niece Collin & Colby of Johnston, Allison & Carter of Ankeny.  His aunt and uncle Lewis & Joyce Laub of Grand Junction and four cousins, Mitch Laub, Susan Holz, Craig McDowell and David McDowell. And last but not least….Jewels Laub his dog! Memorials in His name may be sent to Hastings Funeral Home, Box 204 Perry, Iowa.  When someone you love becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure.