William "Bill" Louis Ganske, Sr.

William "Bill" L. Ganske, Sr., 89, of Sumner, died Sunday, July 31, 2022, at Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 5, 2022, at 10:30 AM at St. John Lutheran Church in Sumner with Rev. Tracy Hinkel officiating. Burial will follow at St. John Lutheran Church Cemetery, rural Sumner. Visitation will be held from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM, Thursday, August 4th at Becker & Son Funeral Home in Sumner and for one hour preceding services at the Church on Friday. Memorials may be made in Bill, Sr.'s name to St. John Lutheran Church Building Improvement Project. William Louis, son of William Henry and Frieda Marie (Krueger) Ganske was born October 30, 1932, at the family’s home, rural Sumner. Bill received his education in the Sumner Schools, graduating from Sumner High School in 1950. On April 13, 1952, he was united in marriage with Dixie Ranard at Trinity Lutheran Church in Waterloo. To this union five children were born, Bill, Jr., Luanne, Rich, Patti, and Kathryn. Bill, Sr. was a life time farmer in the Sumner area. In addition to farming, he operated Ganske Tiling with his son, Bill, Jr. for over forty years, worked at John Deere & Co, and worked at L.E. Meyer Construction. Bill, Sr. was a life time member of St. John Lutheran Church, where he served as Deacon and on the Church Council. He played for the Sumner Legion Baseball team for several years. Bill, Sr. enjoyed hunting and fishing, but his greatest joy was time with family and friends, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bill, Sr. is survived by his wife, Dixie of Sumner; five children, Bill, Jr. (Cindy) Ganske of Sumner, Luanne (Steve) Blasberg of Waterloo, Rich (Lori) Ganske of Sumner, Patti (Cam) Elmer of Sun Valley Lake, and Kathryn (Rick) Moser of Independence; thirteen grandchildren, Dr. Wendy Troutman, Traci Birkes, Krista Smith, Kate Wirtjes, Nick Blasberg, Brett Blasberg, Dr. Bill Ganske, Lacey Meyer, Marcus Ganske, Benny Ganske, Will Elmer, Tara Anderson, and Matt Moser; twenty-eight great-grandchildren; sister, Margaret (Virgil) Schwake of Sumner; brother-in-law, Norbert “Jay (Jean) Ranard of Tripoli; numerous nieces and nephews; and leaves behind his beloved chihuahua and faithful companion of 15 years, Rocky. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his grandson, Michael Moser; two brothers, Charles (Charmaine) (Vada) and Bob (Verla) Ganske; two sisters, Mary (Ivan) Phillis and Ruth Svoboda; and sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Dena and Paul Tiedt. The family wishes to express their appreciation for the wonderful care that Bill, Sr. received at Community Memorial Hospital in Sumner. https://youtu.be/orUL5f0Ir-U