Dr. Ollie J Weigel
Dr. Ollie J Weigel, 99, died Feb. 23, 2022, at his home in Ankeny. A funeral service was held Wednesday, March 2 at Ankeny First United Methodist Church with burial immediately following at Ankeny Memorial Gardens.
He married Mary Kathryn Finnegan on June 3, 1944. He was a First Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Force from 1943 to 1945 in the European Theatre of Operations. He was also a lifetime member of the American Legion.
After serving in the military, Ollie attended Simpson College for his undergraduate degree and went on to earn his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Iowa in 1951.
The family moved to Ankeny in 1951 where he opened a dental office and owned and worked there until he retired in 1994. Many patients knew him as Dr. Ollie. He was a lifetime member of the American Dental Association, Iowa Dental Association and Des Moines District Dental Association.
Dr. Ollie was very active in the Ankeny Community. He was a member of the Lions International Club (1951-1994), member of the Board of Adjustment (1953-1958), charter member of the Ankeny Chamber of Commerce for life and president in 1953 and 1970, member of the Ankeny Planning and Zoning Commission (1953-1965), member of the Ankeny City Council (1966-1973), president of Central Iowa Regional Governments in 1978, chairman of Mid Iowa Association Local Governments in 1983, member of the Des Moines Area Metro Forum (1985-1993), member emeritus for the Des Moines Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation Board in 1993, member of the foundation board of On With Life (1994-2000), member of the Advisory Directors Board for Brenton Bank of Ankeny (1994-2000), member of the Metro Planning Organization (1995-2000), president of the League of Iowa Municipalities (1996-1997), member of the Board of Directors for Neveln Resource Center (1996-2000), member of the Polk County Aviation Authority (2001-2003), member of the Ankeny Community School District Foundation Board of Directors and named to the Hall of Fame in 2007, and a lifetime member of the Ankeny Industrial Development Board.
Dr. Ollie was also a member of the Ankeny City Council from 1966-1973 and went on to become Mayor of Ankeny from 1974-1994. During that time, he won the Outstanding Citizen of Ankeny Award in 1976 and 1993, and was named to the Mayor’s Hall of Fame from 1993-1996.
As mayor, he was very involved with the growth of Ankeny, helping to bring Des Moines Area Community College, On With Life, the airport, and many other businesses to the city.
Dr. Ollie was preceded in death by his wife, Mary K. (Finnegan) Weigel. He is survived by his children, Dr. John (Karla) Weigel, Marilyn Weigel, Larry (Kathy Mamanos) Weigel, and Sue (Dan) Hagan and many other family and friends. n