Henry "Al" Maupin Jr.

Henry Alfred “Al” Maupin, Jr. was born July 30, 1929, in Fulton, Missouri, to Henry Maupin, Sr. and Mable (Winscott) Maupin. At 95, he passed peacefully on September 30, 2024, with family by his side at Kennybrook Village in Grimes, Iowa, under the care of Suncrest Hospice.

Al had a long and wonderful life. His family moved to Des Moines, Iowa, from Missouri when he was young. He graduated from North High School in 1947 and enlisted in the Iowa National Guard in 1948. After graduating, Al worked at Capital City State Bank before starting employment with the Des Moines Fire Department in 1953. After 35 years of service in the National Guard, he retired in 1983 with the rank of Command Sergeant Major. After 37 years on the Fire Department, Al retired in 1990 as a District Chief.

After retirement, Al and his wonderful wife, Lois, were very blessed as they maintained their physical and mental health into their late 80s. They travelled extensively with friends and family well into their 80s. They also enjoyed many dinner parties, concerts, plays, movies, and North High luncheons with classmates. Al was an avid golfer and played multiple times a week. He also enjoyed participating in leadership roles in the retirement organizations for the Fire Department and the National Guard, as well as attending many retirement functions sponsored by these organizations.

Fun facts about Al: He was ambidextrous. He could play boogie woogie on the piano without any training. He played the harmonica. He was a superb dancer, with amazing rhythm. He boxed in the Golden Gloves in high school and also referred for many years after high school. Al was a very positive/glass-half-full type of person. He was a perfectionist and a problem solver. He exercised almost every day of his life up until 90 years of age. He loved music, especially jazz. He was a strong swimmer, with the butterfly being his favorite stroke. His tv preferences were any and all westerns, college football, and golf. When he was young, he jumped out of the second story of a barn with an open umbrella to see if he would float – he didn’t and learned a valuable physics lesson. He also had a never-ending sense of humor.

Al is predeceased by his parents; his wife, Lois (Erickson) Maupin; his daughters, Kellie (Maupin) Brown of Des Moines (and husband Don Brown) and Toni (Hooten) Duvall of San Diego (and husband Daniel Duvall); his grandson, Nick Brown of Des Moines; and his sister, Connie (Maupin) Weber of Des Moines. He is survived by his daughter, Tami (Maupin) Alderman (and husband Tim) of Dallas, Texas; his granddaughters, Lonni (Alderman) Wilks (and husband Ethan) of Dallas, Texas, and Bailey Alderman of College Station, Texas; grandson Matt Brown (and wife Emily) of Des Moines; great granddaughter Kellie Brown and great grandson Austin Brown of Des Moines; and his sister, Jan (Maupin) Bell of Roswell, New Mexico. He is also survived by some very special nieces and nephews. A very grateful shout out to Al’s niece, Lisa “Catbird” (Weber) Iverson and her husband, Mark, of Urbandale, Iowa, who have provided special care and attention to Al (along with Kennybrook) in the last year of his life and added greatly to his quality of life.

A graveside service with full Army military honors and the Des Moines Fire Department honors will take place at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Adel at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 9th. Followed by a Celebration of Life gathering at McLarens/Resthaven Chapel in West Des Moines, Iowa, from 3-5pm. Friends and family are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Des Moines Firefighters Memorial Wall Fund, c/o Des Moines Fire Department Credit Union, 1330 Mulberry Street, Des Moines, IA 50309.