Edward "Eddie" DeCarlo Obituary

Edward "Eddie” DeCarlo, 79, passed away August 28th, 2022. Visitation will be September 25th, 2022 from 1:00-4:00pm at Iles Westover Chapel, 6337 Hickman Road, Des Moines. Private family burial will be at Highland Memory Gardens Cemetery in Des Moines.

Born May 28th, 1943, in Des Moines, Iowa, Eddie attended Dowling Catholic High School before he enlisted in the Army National Guard in December of 1961. Eddie served 4 years active duty with an additional 2 years in the Army Reserves. Following graduation in 1962, Eddie began a 39-year career with telephone companies Northwestern Bell, AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Avaya, retiring as a systems engineer.

After completing basic training, Eddie met Audrey Collins. They were married for over 57 years, and raised their 4 children together in Urbandale, Iowa: Dan (Kelly), Bob (Debbie), Jenny Hess (Dustin) and James (Lynette and Billie). Eddie enjoyed spending time with his six grandchildren - Zach DeCarlo (Bryanna), Brooke Nelson (Ryan), Dominic DeCarlo, Elizabeth DeCarlo, Landon Hess, and Sawyer Hess; and his four great-grandchildren: Zoey, Johanna, Mack, and Griffon.

Eddie grew up in the Iowa racing community by participating in go-cart races, watching stock car racing, and spending his Sunday afternoons watching NASCAR from the comfort of his recliner.

Living in the heart of Urbandale, Eddie’s greatest friendships were the ones he built from his “Horton Street” neighbors. Block parties, backyard celebrations, and Sunday night coffee were a staple in neighborhood. With the help of his friends, Eddie was able to build a dream garage that was joked to be larger than the house.

An avid angler, Eddie spent every summer vacation in Minnesota fishing on Leech Lake. If he didn’t catch his limit by the afternoon, he’d go back out and would always return before the sun went down. He was so proud of the record Northern Pike that he caught that he built his family room around the fish placed above the fireplace.

Eddie loved to cook at family gatherings and man the grill at cookouts. If you were a part of the meal, he always made sure you never went home hungry.

Upon retirement, Eddie and Audrey began their snowbird adventures with travels to Florida and cruises throughout the Caribbean and Central America. Their most recent being a cross country trip to Seattle then cruising the ports of Alaska in 2018.

Eddie is preceded in death by his mother, Ann (Wathne) DeCarlo and his father, Albert DeCarlo.

Memorial contributions may be made out to the Urbandale Schools & Alumni Foundation. Online Condolences are welcome at www.IlesCares.com.

Arrangements by Iles Westover Chapel.

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