Jay "Opa" R. Peltz

Jay “Opa” R. Peltz, 84, of Coalville, IA, died Monday, August 3, 2026, at his home. A celebration of life gathering will begin at 9:00 AM on Friday, August 7, 2026, at St. Paul Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall), 400 S. 13th Street – Fort Dodge with Pastor Nicholas Thackery officiating at 9:45 AM. Military honors will be conducted by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard at 10:30 AM. Memorials may be directed to the family. Arrangements are with Historic Bruce Funeral Home of Fort Dodge. 

Jay Richard Peltz was born June 30, 1942, in St. Paul, MN, the son of Ralph Daniel and Edna Pauline (Griffin) Peltz. After graduating from high school in St. Paul in 1960, he proudly served in the U.S. Air Force from 1962 to 1983 during the Cold War, retiring as a Master Sergeant (E-7). His distinguished military career was defined by his work in Signals Intelligence, which included logged postings at Teufelsberg in Berlin, Bad Aibling Station in Bavaria, and Strategic Air Command at Offutt Air Force Base. A Level 4 German Linguist who also spoke Russian, Italian, and Spanish, Jay logged over 700 flying hours around the world and served as a key translator in Bad Aibling. He later continued his education at FAO in Garmisch, Germany, earning his Master’s Degree. Following his military retirement, he dedicated an additional 21 years of civilian service to the Department of Defense.

A devoted Christian and Godly man, Opa loved reading scripture and was an active member of First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Gambrills, MD, for 30 years, and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge since 2020. He was a lifetime history enthusiast, a proud member of the VFW, and enjoyed visiting museums, building model airplanes, gardening, traveling, and spending time on the farm with his family.

Opa is survived by 6 children: Joy Pase and husband Ed of Maryland, Heidi Graninger and husband Paul of Maryland, Tanya Peltz and wife Pam of Delaware, Gretchen Amrock and husband Frank of New York, Abigayle Sasser and husband Colin of Virginia, and Kurt Peltz and wife Tonya of Coalville; 18 grandchildren: Elizabeth, Michael, Kathy, Jason, Amanda, Scarlet, Nolan, Anna, Gio, Cassie, Nehemiah, Becca, Ashlyn, Matthew, Melissa, Jacob, Joshua, and Holly; 11 great grandchildren: Christian, Givanni, Lily, Jack, Phillip, Cody, Natasha, Ryan, Ryle, Kody and Deacon; 5 siblings: Kristine, Linda, Ginger, Dennis and Douglas; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He is also survived by his wife: Denise Ropte of Fort Dodge.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and his wife of 50+ years: Joan (Dexter) Peltz, who died in 2018.