William A. “Willy” Lefler 1951- -2017

GRAVES, LEFLER, KENNEDY, RANGER, TRIPP

Posted By: Connie Swearingen- Volunteer (email)
Date: 4/30/2017 at 17:41:36

Sioux City Journal
30 April 2017

SIOUX CITY | William A. Lefler, 66, of Sioux City, was welcomed into God’s kingdom Monday, April 24, 2017, at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Services will be 11 a.m. Friday, May 5, at Faith Presbyterian Church. Visitation will be 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m., and a prayer service at 7 p.m., at Waterbury Funeral Service of Sioux City, 4125 Orleans Ave.

William A. “Willy” Lefler was born on Jan. 11, 1951, in Sioux City, the son of Wilbur and Laura (Graves) Lefler. He attended East High School in Sioux City. Willy worked briefly with the Burlington Northern Railroad. Then one day, Willy got the opportunity to work a few days at Memorial Park Cemetery where he discovered he enjoyed working outside and wound up staying there for the duration of his working career. Willy was promoted to cemetery superintendent in 1979 and enjoyed a long career at Memorial Park Cemetery until 2011. Because of his friendly demeanor and wealth of knowledge, Willy was highly respected by many funeral directors in the Siouxland area.

In 1970, Willy married Deborah (Kennedy) Delaney, and they later divorced. In 1985, Willy met the love of his life, Kaye Ranger. Willy and Kaye married Aug. 1, 1986, and remained married for 29 years until losing Kaye to cancer in 2015. After reuniting with Stacy Tripp, they began a new chapter and were married on March 9, 2017. Stacy gave Willy comfort and happiness the last year of his life.

In his youth, Willy found a love for cars and enjoyed racing them as well. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and many sporting events. Through the years, he watched many area football games, especially on “cheap skate hill” near Roberts Stadium. It was widely known that Willy was an avid Iowa Hawkeye fan. He found great pleasure in taking the Canadian fishing trips with his son, grandkids, brothers, and friends. Willy loved taking long drives and just enjoying the beauty in the world. However, Willy’s greatest joy in life was spending time with his grandchildren.

Willy was an active member of the Third Presbyterian Church, which later combined to become the Faith Presbyterian Church.

Willy is survived by his wife, Stacy Tripp-Lefler of Sioux City; his son, Kirk (Cathy) Nelson of Urbandale, Iowa; his daughters, Rhonda (Michael) Lemieux of Ankeny, Iowa, Karoline Nelson of Dakota Dunes, S.D., and Kimberly (Gordan) Finch of Kirksville, Mo.; his identical twin brother, Wally Lefler of Denver, Colo., and Jerry (Beth) Lefler of Sioux City; his sisters, Joanie Stephens of Sioux City, Jackie (John) McKeever of Greenville, S.C., Julie Benz of Tempe, Ariz., and Cindy (Harold) Janke of Pender, Neb.; eight grandchildren; one great-granddaughter; other relatives and many friends.

Willy was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Debbie Delaney; his beloved wife, Kaye; his brothers, David Lefler and Michael Lefler; and his sister, Mary Krier.