Teddie Ray Bear

Teddie Ray Bear, son of Glenn and Eula (Brockway) Bear, was born August 29, 1945, in Creston, Iowa. Ted attended school in Kellerton, Iowa and graduated from Grand Valley High School.
On July 24, 1965, Ted was united in marriage to Bryce Daneen Carl at the Paton Methodist Church in Paton, Iowa. To this union two children were born, Daneen Ranee who passed away in infancy and Angela. Ted and Bryce settled in Ellston, Iowa where Ted farmed from 1974 to 1981. He worked for a few years at the Benton Coop before he began a long and successful career as an over-the-road truck driver. Ted first drove for Jim Webb but drove for the most years with Heartland Express trucking. He was proud of his award as a million-mile accident-free driver. This accomplishment was one of the earlier recorded awards given by Heartland Express.
Ted was not a man to sit still. On the weekends, you could find him tinkering out in the yard or garage. If he could bypass paying someone to fix something, he would do it himself, sometimes with help from family & friends. He enjoyed riding motorcycles and keeping up his yard. Ted was a loving critique on people’s cooking as nobody could match up to his wife Bryce’s cooking. He could be frugal as he grew up in a generation that went without and had to make the most of what they had. Ted loved his family and enjoyed being with them.
Ted entered the Kavanaugh Hospice House in Des Moines and passed away there on May 13, 2025. He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Bryce on November 21, 2014; daughter Daneen Ranee; and all of his siblings which included sisters Shirley Chase, Karen Baker, Betty Long, Beverly Peterman, and Jean Schriever, and his brother Don Bear.
Survivors include his daughter Angela (Randy) Pottorff of Winterset, IA; granddaughters Alexandria (Dustin) Bonjour and Nixie Pottorff; great grandchildren Eli, Teddi, and Oakley; and special friend Juanita Gilbert.
A visitation, with the family present, will be held from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 22 at Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr. Burial will be at a later date in the Oliver Cemetery. Memorials are in his name to be decided by the family.