Dallas County Paramedic Luke Dahl receives Iowa’s first Willow Award after being nominated by Jean Dowd’s family during a ceremony on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Adel. Allison Ullmann/Raccoon Valley Radio

A Dallas County Emergency Medical Services Paramedic was surprised with an award Friday morning. 

Luke Dahl received the state’s first Willow Award from the organization’s Central Iowa Chapter during a surprise ceremony at the Dallas County Administration Building. Jodie McGinley, executive director of the Willow Award: Excellence in End-of-Life Care, shared the origin.

“The Willow Award began in Arkansas as a way to recognize end-of-life caregivers, whether it is nurses or cnas, chaplains, social workers, volunteers or EMS personnel. There’s such a need to recognize that corner of healthcare, because they are not recognized enough. So as a funeral home, that’s where we said we need to recognize these end-of-life caregivers because the stories that the funeral directors hear every day were exceptional. Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home and Boesden Florist wanted to do that very same thing here in Iowa, and so this was the very first award ceremony in Iowa.”

Dahl was nominated by Christina Sowers, daughter of the late Jean Dowd, for his profound compassion and extraordinary care during one of the most difficult experiences of her life. Sowers’ nomination letter described Dahl as the “calm in the storm” after paramedics transported her mother to the hospital following a heart attack.

 “What stands out to me most about Luke is what happened after we arrived at the emergency room. Amid all the activity and the commotion, Luke was the one who stayed. He was honest and compassionate when explaining my mother’s prognosis. He made sure I understood the seriousness of the situation without ever making me feel abandoned. He found me a chair, and asked me if there’s anything else I needed before he left. Those may seem like small gestures, but to someone experiencing the worst day of her life, they meant everything.”

Her nomination letter went on to thank Dahl for offering compassion to her family.

“I will never forget Luke or the way he cared for my mother and for me that day. His actions gave our family comfort during an experience that we will carry with us forever. For his professionalism, compassion, calm presence and extraordinary care, I am honored to nominate Luke for the Willow Award. He truly was the calm in our storm when our family needed it most and I believe his actions exemplify the very best of what this award represents.”

Dahl expressed his thanks to the family after receiving the award on Friday.

“Thank you so much. I appreciate being nominated for this. But all my other fellow paramedics, I know, would’ve probably done the same thing, so I appreciate all my other co-workers and I appreciate the family. Wish we could have done more, as always. Wish we can do more when we can, but we affect what we can. So I really appreciate you guys.

Check out photos of Friday’s awards ceremony below.