Raymond “Ray” Cadwallader, age 89, of Coon Rapids, IA, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 6, 2022 at his home surrounded by his family.
Funeral service will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Saturday, December 10, 2022 at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids with Jill Albright officiating. Music for the service will be by Sharon and John Richardson. Casket bearers will be Kevin Dorpinghaus, Jeff Mortvedt, Brian Hardaway, Randy Albright, Brett Stangl, and Tom Riesenberg. Burial will be in the Union Township Cemetery near Coon Rapids with military honors by the Coon Rapids American Legion and the Iowa National Guard.
Visitation will be held at the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids from 5 – 7 P.M. on Friday, December 9, 2022. Additional visitation will be held at the funeral home on Saturday from 9:30 A.M. – 10:15 A.M. prior to the service.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Dahn and Woodhouse Funeral Home in Coon Rapids and online condolences may be left for the family at www.dahnandwoodhouse.com
Ray was born on April 4, 1933 in a farmhouse seven miles west of Wayne, NE, and he was the son of Wallace and Lillie (Andersen) Cadwallader. His parents moved to Carroll in 1936 and from there to a farm southwest of Coon Rapids in 1939. Ray started school at Viola Center and after a few years the family moved to a farm two and a half miles east of Coon Rapids. He attended country school and after it closed, he rode the bus to Bayard where he graduated from Bayard High Scool in 1952. After graduation, he helped his father on the farm along with helping other local farmers. He also worked at the Carroll Stone DX gas station in Bayard. On December 7, 1953, he was drafted into the United States Army. He was in Ft. Leonard Wood, MO for sixteen weeks and then was deployed to England to work on an airfield. It was there that he met his wife to be Jean Duffen. They were married on July 2, 1955 at the Methodist church in Hertfordshire, England. Ray and Jean returned to the United States on Thanksgiving day of 1955. Jean became an American citizen in 1966. Ray worked odd jobs for a time before going to work at the Ford dealership in Coon Rapids where worked as a mechanic for twenty one years. In 1976 he began working for the City of Coon Rapids Street Department where he was employed for sixteen years retiring in 1995. In retirement, Ray did many odd jobs and enjoyed staying busy. He also worked as a greeter at Wal-Mart. He enjoyed raising ducks, reading the newspaper, listening to his scanner, working on old cars, fixing most anything, planting trees, and spending time with his family.
Ray is survived by his wife Jean of 67 years; his children and their families: son Steven Cadwallader (Lori) of Coon Rapids, son Tony Cadwallader of Coon Rapids, daughter Connie Faust (Dan) of Earlham; five grandchildren: Crystal Faust, Andrew Faust (Andrea Rider), Spencer Faust (Addy), Jenna Maag (Collin), and Grant Cadwallader (Cortney); three great-grandchildren: Talib, Holden, and Ellie; a nephew Tim Duffen; and two nieces Cheryl Bullard and Gayla Wilson.
Ray was preceded in death by his parents Wallace and Lillie Cadwallader; his father and mother-in-law Geoffrey and Anne Duffen; a brother Wallace Cadwallader Jr.; and a sister in infancy.