William Earnest "Bill" Law

William Earnest 'Bill' Law

Cushing, Iowa

William Earnest "Bill" Law, 90, of Cushing passed away on Monday, Feb. 21, 2022, at a Sioux City hospital following a short illness.

Service will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday at the First United Methodist Church of Cushing with Ron Rice officiating. Burial will be held at the Correctionville Cemetery of Correctionville with military rites conducted by the American Legion F. Roger Baumann Post #624 of Cushing. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the church. The Nicklas D. Jensen Funeral Home of Correctionville is in charge of the arrangements.

Bill, the fourth of five children, was born July 19, 1931, in Correctionville to Clifford and Maymee (Wright) Law. He was cared for not only by his parents, but by his older sisters as well, Maxine (ten years his senior) was much like a second mother to Bill, a bond developed that lasted his entire life.

Bill spoke very little about his early life challenges, one thing that he does remember is the tedious job of planting and digging potatoes, (evidently back then a staple throughout the winter was eating potatoes, so they planted rows and rows of them). He will eat potatoes, but he refused to plant them in his adult life. Upon graduating from Cushing High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed at Moses Lake Air Force Base near Ephrata, Wash. While in service Bill met his future wife, Dorothy June Ford; they were married Oct. 17, 1953.

Bill and Dorothy lived in the Ephrata area for approximately three years before returning to the family farm near Cushing with their first son Michael. There, they farmed and raised their four sons, Michael, David, Daniel, and Jeffrey, installing a lifelong work ethic. While not all his sons stayed on the farm, they all had a connection, with his youngest son Jeff carrying on the operation that his forebearers started. It is of note that Bill was a hard worker and always had one or more of his sons at his side to tackle the farm chores.

A man that was forever devoted to the farm, Bill did have other interests: woodworking, traveling, singing, playing card games (an activity that he continued with his grandchildren in his later years), his cow calf operation, and of course his white dog. He had an affinity for creating nicknames for his sons, his grandchildren, nephews, and nieces. He loved his family, his farm, his church, and basically living in Iowa.

Bill belonged to the First United Methodist Church of Cushing, Iowa Farm Bureau, and was a member of the F. Roger Baumann Veterans Org. Unit 624.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Dorothy; brother Junior Law; four sons Michael (Terri) Law, David Law, Danny (Thu) Law, and Jeff (Amanda Tentinger) Law; sisters-in-law Roberta Harkleroad, Judy (George) Seifret, Donna (Tilman) Kinney, and Betty Law; brother-in-law Robert Ford; 13 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and many cousins, nephews, and nieces.

William was preceded in death by his parents; sisters Maxine Law and Donna Sloan; brother Verle Law; daughter-in-law Mary Jo Law; sisters-in-law Bonnie Law, Audrey Cook, Judy Ford, and Doris Nicks; brothers-in-law Paul Sloan, Harold Ford, Richard Nicks, Lloyd Harkleroad, and Joe Cook; nephews Dennis Law, John Sloan, Harold Ford Jr, and Ramsey Law; nieces Joanie Cook, Patti Nicks, Debbi Nicks, and Linda Kinney; nephew-in-law Larry Greeny; and niece-in-law Rickie Sloan.

Memorials and gifts will be directed to Bill's family.