William Daley, 91

April 1, 1934 - 

December 17, 2025

 

   William “Bill” Leland Daley, 91, of Cresco, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, at Evans Senior Living in Cresco, Iowa.

   Mass of Christian Burial was held on Saturday, December 27, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Notre Dame Catholic Church with Father Jacob Rouse officiating. A visitation was held prior to mass on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the church. Burial was held in Calvary Cemetery in Cresco.

   In lieu of flowers the family kindly asks that donations be made to your local food bank. 

   Bill Daley was born April 1, 1934, to John J. and Loretta L. (Harris) Daley in Cresco Iowa. He was the sixth of six children. He was Baptized and Confirmed into the Assumption Catholic Church in Cresco. Bill attended a neighborhood country school through the 8th grade, and was a member of the first graduating class of Notre Dame Catholic High School in 1952. Notre Dame High was created from a cooperative effort between St. Joseph’s and Assumption Parishes to offer high school age students from both churches a faith-based education. 

   Bill learned early on, that life isn’t always easy or fair. He suffered from scarlet fever as a youngster, experienced the harsh economic reality of growing up on a farm in the middle of the great depression, and only knew his mother through limited visits to the sanitarium where she received care for her tuberculosis until she passed when he was 11. Luckily, he had three wonderful older sisters, and the ceaseless love and care of his Aunt Edna Harris who moved in and dedicated her life to care for the family. He, his two older brothers, and his three sisters worked together to keep the farm going, as their father was frequently on the road to Dubuque to see Loretta at the hospital, and taking on extra jobs to help pay the bills. Given the difficult times in which they lived, simple moments of joy, love, and togetherness did not go unnoticed by Bill and his family. They developed a strong bond to each other, and came to understand that whatever they had was a gift. This understanding that everything - time, treasure, “stuff” – was a gift to be cared for and used wisely, Bill carried with him his entire life.

   After high school, Bill took a course in basic electronics and a job in Chicago. In time, he came back to this area, and to the irresistible Wilma Caroline Peter. After a brief engagement, they were married at the Assumption Church on February 8, 1955. Four children were born into this union: Michael Daley of Cresco; Jeanne (Tom) Andersen of Osceola; David (Pam) Daley of Cresco; and Colleen (Keith) Brown of Cedar Rapids. Bill’s family today also includes cherished grandchildren Johann Daley, Amran (Asma) Daley, and Norrita (Mike) Moorman, children of Michael; Lori Throndson, Eric (Carey) Roeder, Brian (Katie) Roeder, and Rachael Roeder, children of Jeanne; Jennifer Daley-Oakes, Matthew (Erin) Daley, and Brett Daley, children of David; Emily (Ross) Lanser, and Aran Brown, children of Colleen; and 25 great-grandchildren.

   Early married life was not easy for the young couple, as their family grew to add four children by the end of 1959. The first three houses in which they made their home did not have indoor running water or a bathroom, but the houses were free to use.  Wilma planted, harvested, and preserved in the cellar a wide variety of fruits and vegetables from her beautiful and productive gardens. She carried and heated water for washing clothes and kids and husband, maintained her modest homes to perfection, and made sure all were ready to go to Church when Bill arrived in the house after chores in time to drive to Church just as the bells rang out. Again, in these times, simple moments of joy, love and togetherness were cherished. The gifts of time, and treasure were stewarded carefully. He did not buy “stuff”.

   Slowly, Bill and his brother-partner, Jack, began to shape their farming enterprise into a business which would support his family and “put away” a little for a “rainy day”.  Bill and Jack worked long hours tending to dairy cows, laying hens, beef cows, and the all-important “mortgage lifters” - the pigs.         Bill was furiously frugal and did not waste time. Judicious use of time and treasure also meant that the gifts he had been given were to be shared with everyone around him. Bill was notoriously social, and generously shared what he had. At a fairly young age, Bill began his famous “visits” to the home-bound.

   The teachings of the Catholic faith guided Bill to become, if not a loud professor of his faith, a life-long practitioner of that faith. If he spent long hours praying, he must have done it while he was working, caring for his family and friends, and visiting “the old folks”. He lived by his understanding of the gifts of time, treasure and stuff. He was gifted an extraordinary 91 years, of which he spent every minute and wasted none. He worked hard, and was rewarded with the gift of treasure; he shared it generously, and wasted little. Even though he didn’t try to, he accumulated a fair amount of “stuff”, and he worked diligently to give it all away. Of all the gifts he gave away, the gift of time he gave to others will be his most enduring legacy.

   Bill was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters Mary Courtney, Sister Mary Angela and Ruth Daley; brothers John R. and James M. Daley; his beloved bride of 66 years, Wilma, in 2021.

   Bill is survived by all of his 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and 25 great grandchildren.

 

“As God speaks to us through the distant stars of his greatness and magnitude, He speaks even more clearly through the presence of man. God became man to use human nature to speak of the Good News of God’s love for us.” “God is not distant; He is present, He operates in our lives, and He operates through people.”

- unknown author

 

Hindt-Hudek Funeral Home in Cresco is assisting the family.