LESLIE D. FEVOLD

Leslie “Les” Dean Fevold, 78, of Humboldt, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on March 26, 2026, at MercyOne Hospital in Mason City.
Les was born on Jan. 15, 1948, to Ervin and Ivadell (Hansen) Fevold in Fort Dodge. Les attended Humboldt Community Schools and after graduation in 1967, he joined the US Navy. Les served on the U.S.S. Pollux AKS-4 in Vietnam. He received an honorable discharge in 1969 to return home to farm with his dad who sustained a severe leg injury.
After returning home and working on the farm Les worked at W&H and NEW Co-op in first Badger and then Humboldt. Following his time there he began his lifelong career as a cowboy hat salesman traveling all over the country. Rodeo Hat Company worked shows from the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas to Cheyenne Frontier Days to the Denver Stock Show to rodeos in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and even the Iowa State Fair. He created a network of friends and memories across the country. He roped both family and friends into working the road with him and they have the stories to prove it. He told his daughter many times on their travels to shows that he was “taking you places you’ve never seen before and showing you things you’ve never seen” and boy did he! As Les got older he decided to take on an even bigger challenge than the open road and began driving a school bus for the Humboldt Community School District. His self proclaimed motto was “We Don’t Do that on Bus #1!”
Les was literally and figuratively a man of many hats. Growing up he enjoyed raising and taking care of horses with his father, Ervin. He loved cars and car racing. The grandkids loved racing his Go Karts on the Fevold Raceway he built just for them. He was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan who is still devastated that his daughters and grandchildren are almost all Cyclone fans. He loved finding unique treasures and antiques during his travels and was known to take a road trip for just that perfect thing even weeks before his death. The thrill of the hunt as he used to say!
Les is survived by his two daughters and their children: Jenny (Eric) Taylor of Johnston and their daughters Ellie, Kassady and Cate; and Tricia (Aaron) Greteman of Algona and their sons Ben, Sam and Henry; as well as his sister Vickey (Dan) Sherwin of West Des Moines and her children Paula, Stephanee, Jacque and Scott.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Ervin and Ivadell; and his grandparents Martin and Cecelia Fevold and Fred and Alma Hansen; as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, April 4, from 2 to 5 p.m. at 716 Main Restaurant in Humboldt. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family and will be distributed to Les’s favorite charities in his memory. Oakcrest Funeral Services of Algona in charge of arrangements.