Cover photo for William 'Bill' John Foley's Obituary
William 'Bill' John Foley Profile Photo
1921 William 2015

William 'Bill' John Foley

April 27, 1921 — September 5, 2015

William 'Bill' John Foley was born, April 27, 1921 to John S. Foley and Sarah Esther (Mann) Foley in Anthon, Iowa. Bill attended St. Joseph's Catholic School from kindergarten to eighth grade in Anthon and graduated from Anthon High School in 1939. While in High School, Bill worked at the local grocery store in Anthon, and after high school he did construction work. On August 26, 1942, Bill enlisted in the United States Army and served three and a half years during World War II. Bill was married to Geraldine 'Jerry' King on October 18, 1945 at the Immaculate Conception Church in Cherokee, Iowa. Shortly after their wedding Bill and Jerry moved to Memphis, Tennessee until Bill's discharge form the service on January 16, 1946. Following in his father's footsteps, Bill went to work for the Illinois Central Railroad as a section foreman out of the Cherokee area. Bill worked for an extra gang on the railroad so he and Jerry lived in a bunk car in Sioux Falls, South Dakota until 1950. They later returned to Quimby to continue working on the railroad. Carrying on with his railroad career, Bill moved his family to Sioux City in 1952. In 1958, another move was made to Bronson, Iowa where Bill purchased a farm and still stayed employed with Illinois Central. Another move was made in 1964 as Bill was transferred back to the Cherokee area. He sold their farm in Bronson and purchased a new farm in Quimby, Iowa. Bill retired from Illinois Central railroad after 33 years. Upon retiring, Bill and Jerry spent many winter months in Arizona. Bill was an avid snooker and card player. He won many tournaments in both. Bill also enjoyed reading, and would make weekly trips to the Quimby Library and if a good book wasn't found, he enjoyed the Reader's Digest stories as well. Bill was a member of St. John's Catholic Church in Quimby where he served on the parish counsel and also served as a Eucharistic Minister. Left to remember Bill are his wife of 69+ years, Jerry; his children, Percy Nelson, Connie Hill both of Quimby, Bev (Glen) Woltman, Cleghorn, Jack (Juli) Foley, Bill (Carolyn) Foley all of Quimby; eighteen grandchildren and twenty-eight great grandchildren; his younger siblings, Jean Naber of Merrifield, Minnesota, Phil (Pat) Foley, Springfield, Illinois; and many nieces, nephews, and friends. Bill is preceded in death by his parents and great granddaughter, Faith Hill.
SERVICES
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 8, 2015, at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Cherokee, Iowa.
OFFICIATING
Father Dan Guenther
CASKET BEARERS
VISITATION
Visitation will be held on Monday from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. with the family present during that time at the Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee. There will be a 7:00 p.m. prayer service Monday night at the funeral home.
MUSIC
INTERMENT
Mt. St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery Anthon, Iowa
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William 'Bill' John Foley, please visit our flower store.

Guestbook

Visits: 28

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree