Mass of the Christian Burial will be 11 a.m. Thursday, March 12 at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Perry for Kenneth William “Bill” Graney, 90, of Perry, Iowa.
Father Paul Nguyen will officiate, with Chuck Schott as the musician. Burial will be in Violet Hill Cemetery.
Honorary pallbearers will be Robert Wasson, Tom Quinlan, John Splendore, Ray Rooney, Don Stracke, the staff of Spring Valley Retirement Community and the nursing staff of the Dallas County Hospital.
Visitation will begin at 3 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, with the family receiving friends from 5–7 p.m. A Rosary Service will follow at Murdock Funeral Home.
Bill passed away Monday, March 9, 2015 at Spring Valley Retirement Community.
Kenneth William Graney was born July 5, 1924 in Perry, Iowa, the son of James P. and Florence (Murrin) Graney. Bill attended school at St. Patrick’s, graduating from St. Patrick’s High School in 1942.
He was a lifelong resident of Perry, outside of the time spent in the Navy during World War II. Bill married Betty Lundgren on Sept. 20, 1950 at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Des Moines.
Bill was a well known, honest car salesman for nearly 50 years, working for Traverse Chevrolet, Lauterbach Chevrolet and Buick, Martendale Motors, Dave Ostrem Motor Cars and McKee Auto Center.
Bill was a life-time member of the Knights of Columbus, Perry Elks and the American Legion. He had a huge love of baseball. Bill pitched for the Salina Blue Jays in the 1940s. He coached Perry Little League and the Perry Merchants Semi Pros for many years. He played countless hours on slow pitch teams in Arizona and Iowa. He was a team member of the Arizona Nationals Over-70 World Series Championship Team in 1996.
Survivors include sons, Timothy (Paula) Graney of St. Joseph, Mo., Patrick Graney of Perry and Joseph Graney of Ankeny; daughters, Margaret (Bob) Gittins of Perry and Mary Kay Delmege of Perry; one sister, Joan Lee of Minneapolis, Minn.; 12 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Preceding Bill in death were his parents; his wife, Betty, on Nov. 13, 2010; one son, Michael; a brother, James Graney; and his sister, Mary Jeanne Powell.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established in his name and may be left or sent to Murdock Funeral Home. Online condolences may be left at murdockfuneralhome.net.
