Just received word from Iowa Farm Bureau that former American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) president Dean Kleckner, 82, passed away June 15 at his home in Minnesota with his wife of 62 years, Natalie, and family members by his side.

Kleckner was best known for his decades-long leadership within the Farm Bureau on the local, state and national level beginning at age 26 when he was elected president of the Floyd County Farm Bureau. In 1963, Kleckner became the vice president of Iowa Farm Bureau and in 1975 was elected president of IFBF. In 1986, he was elected president of AFBF and served seven two-year terms.

From 2000 to 2012, Kleckner was the Chairman of Truth About Trade and Technology (TATT), a non-profit advocacy group led by American farmers. Over his decades of leadership, Kleckner also served on many company and organization boards, including: the World Food Prize, the International Food and Agricultural Trade Policy Council, the National Policy Association, the National Livestock Producers Association, the Meat Export Federation, the College of Agriculture at Iowa State University, Iowans for Tax Relief, and the Health Policy Corporation of Iowa.

A public memorial service for Dean Kleckner will be held at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 8301 Aurora Avenue, Urbandale, Iowa, on Tuesday, August 18, 2015, at 3:00 p.m. The public memorial will be immediately followed by a reception and fellowship at the church. The committal, at McLarens Resthaven Chapel in West Des Moines, will be private.

The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture, 600 Maryland Avenue SW, Suite 1000W, Washington, D.C. 20024 or The Alzheimer’s Association, P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C. 20090-6011.