Raymond Martin Dydell, Jr.

Raymond Martin Dydell, Jr., 47, of Newton died on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at MercyOne Newton. A celebration of Ray’s life will be held at 1 p.m., Thursday, April 18, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory. The family will greet friends from 4-7 p.m., Wednesday, April 17, at the funeral home.  In lieu of flowers, memorials in Ray’s name to be used for his children (checks made payable to Pam Hackathorn) may be left at the funeral home.

Ray, the son of Raymond Martin Dydell, Sr. and Pam (Gillett) Hackathorn, was born on November 2, 1976 in St. Joseph, Missouri.  In 1984, Ray, or more affectionately known to his mom as “Ray Ray Doodle Bug”, moved with his mother and older brother, Chris to Newton, Iowa.  In school, he played football, basketball, and then in high school joined the wrestling team where he recorded the most takedowns in one year. During that same time, Ray thought he spotted famous WWE wrestler, Hulk Hogan, on the Log ride at Adventureland and was then a lifelong fan. Ray graduated from Newton High School in 1995 and would continue to call Newton home for his entire life.  Ray had worked at Progress Industries for 14 years and for the last 5 years worked at Jeld-Wen in Grinnell.

Ray was dedicated to his family, especially his two boys, Jaden and Carson.  As they were growing up, Ray coached them in flag football and soccer. His support was unwavering in any and all of their activities.  Five years ago, when he met his fiancé, Heidi and her daughter, Hailey, Ray was just as excited and dedicated to be a part of Hailey’s cheering section.  Ray and his “Babe”, Heidi, loved their recent trip to Florida and Ray was so excited to go to Hulk Hogan’s bar and store in hopes of meeting him to ask if he had truly been to Adventureland all those years ago. Ray and Heidi were also looking forward to taking all three kids back to Florida in July.

Ray had a long list of hobbies and interests that he always did with a big ole smile.  He loved to go fishing, do yardwork, but only in the summer and not the winter, and listen and dance to ALL kinds of music from hip-hop to country. His favorite thing to watch on TV besides his beloved Chicago Bears were documentaries and true-life stories.  Lately the conspiracy theory of “Are aliens real?” became a hot topic, with Ray falling on the side of “Heck yes, they are.”  A great night for Ray would include getting together with friends, both new and old, shooting a game of pool, and having a few good laughs. Probably sometime that same night, well after everyone else went to bed Ray would find his way to the kitchen to satisfy his sweet tooth with a sugar cookie or cake.  

Those left to remember Ray are his fiancé, Heidi Sumpter of Newton; children, Jaden Dydell, Carson Dydell, and Hailey Sumpter; his parents, Pam (Darrell) Hackathorn of Newton; siblings, Chris (Jackie) Dydell of Newton, and Patricia Kellogg (Mikeal Henderson) of St. Joseph, Missouri; nieces and nephews, Taylor Dydell, Kaleb Dydell, Kapri (Cindy) Ginn, Miles Henderson, and Mia Henderson.  He was preceded in death by his father, Raymond Martin Dydell, Sr.

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