GREGORY, Clifford M. 1913-1964

GREGORY, SPEER

Posted By: Tammy (email)
Date: 2/21/2015 at 13:41:26

C. M. Gregory, Dike Elevator Manager, Dies

Clifford Gregory, one of Grundy county's outstanding business leaders, died at his home at Dike Monday morning following an illness for more than a year from cancer.

His death at 51 will be felt as a heavy loss to his town, county and state. He was an aggressive and a helpful leader. During the 26 years that he was directing head of the Farmers Cooperative at Dike, that institution has grown to one of the largest of its kind in the grain and the soybean processing field. His ability and understanding of the soybean, how its use could be expanded was well known in the soybean industry in all parts of the country. He was sent to Japan at two different times as a representative of the soybean industry. His appointment to that responsibility was made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. At the conclusion of its second assignment to Japan to supervise the soybean exhibit at a National fair, he and Mrs. Gregory continued a trip around the world. That was in 1962.

The body was at the Engelkes funeral home in Grundy Center until Wednesday, when it was taken to the family home at Dike, where a Masonic service will be held at 8 o'clock Thursday evening. On Friday afternoon services will be held in the Methodist church in Dike. The service will be at one o'clock. It will be conducted by a former pastor at Dike, Rev. Robert Crum, now in Boston. Assisting in the service will be the present Methodist pastor at Dike, Rev. Lloyd Bair. Masonic graveside services will be in the Elmwood cemetery at Dike.

Clifford Martin Gregory was born May 22, 1913, at Ralston, Iowa, the son of Luke and Alice Gregory. He graduated from the Glidden high school in 1931.

June 13, 1937, he was married to Evelyn Speer at the Geneseo Methodist church, Buckingham. Following their marriage the couple lived in Ralston a year and a half where he was assistant manager of the Farmers Cooperative. They moved to Dike on Dec. 1, 1938, as he had accepted the management of the Farmers Cooperative, Dike. During his management the past 25 years the Cooperative has built the concrete elevators as well as the soybean plant and modern feed mill, which combined to make the Cooperative an active and prosperous business. The soybean plant processes 500,000 bushels of soybeans a year. The firm now employs four times as many persons as when Mr. Gregory became manager in 1938.

He was president of the Farmers Elevator Service Company of Iowa, Fort Dodge, for five years and served on the Farmers Grain Dealers Assn. for five years.

Always a progressive and willing Dike resident he had served as president of the Chamber of Commerce and was either a board or committee member of that group for numerous years. He had served for a time as member of the Dike town council and of the Dike community school board for 10 years.

Serving as chairman of the Methodist church building committee, he was most influential in the building of the new church which was consecrated last Mar. 1.

He was a member of the First Methodist church, Dike; the Dike Masonic Honor Lodge No. 646 A.F.&A.M. and the Modern Woodmen of America.

He was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Joseph, and a son, Paul Dean.

Survivors are his widow; one son, Larry James, Chicago; two daughters, Louise Nadine of Marshalltown and Jean Marie at home; two brothers, George Gregory of Ralston, Iowa, and Myron Gregory of Jefferson, Iowa; and a sister, Mary Gregory Kirkham of Phoenix, Ariz.

--The Grundy Register (Grundy Center, Iowa), 3 December 1964, pg 1