A Funeral Mass for Kenneth William Croat, 86, who passed away Thursday, December 15,  2022, at Iowa Methodist Hospital, will be held on December 20, 2022, at 10:00 am at  Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, St. Marys, IA with burial following in the St. Marys  Cemetery.

Survivors include his children, Karyn Croat, Becki (Bob) Williams, Michelle (Dan) Golightly,  Randall (Janice) Croat and Jacqui (Jim Stoner) Croat; nine grandchildren, four great grandchildren; siblings, Tom (Pat) Croat, Mike (Linda) Croat, Ellen (Croat) Celsi, John (Kay)  Croat, Jo (Croat) Beck. He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda Ann Croat; his grandson,  Bret Golightly; his sister, Carol Kubik; brothers-in-law, Frank Celsi, Don Beck, Frank Kubik;  sister-in-law, Barb (Garner) Croat; and his parents, Oliver and Irene (Wilgenbusch) Croat.

Visitation will be held at the St. Marys Parish Hall in St. Marys, IA on December 19, 2022 from  4:00 pm – 7:30 pm. Rosary will be at 7:30 pm.

Ken was born December 6, 1936, at home, in the middle of a snowstorm south of St. Marys,  Iowa. His father, Oliver, in the driving snow, hitched up the horses and the sled and went to get  the doctor. This initial act, to bring him into the world, says so much about how Ken's showed  up for his family and his community, always hard-working and willing to help others.

Ken was the second oldest of seven children and oldest boy in his family when his own father,  Oliver, passed away when Ken was 14 years old. He and next brother Tom had to limit their days  at school because the crops desperately needed to be planted. Without that income, their family  of 8 would have been in dire straits after his father's passing. Ken, even so young, hitched up  behind a horse-drawn plow, day after day, and made sure those crops got planted.

Ken continued to help keep the farm and his younger, rebellious siblings in order, while also  playing basketball in high school and being the voice of sanity amidst his misbehaving friends.  That steadfastness and dedication earned him the nickname of Straight Arrow. Ken graduated  from St. Marys High School and soon thereafter married Linda Hoyt., a local girl.

They started their family in a small, rental house north of St. Marys. They soon outgrew that, and  Ken started building their own house on the northwest the corner of the 160-acre farm that he and Linda eventually purchased from his mother, Irene, after she retired.

In that house, they would both live for 60+ years and raise their family of 5 children. By  that time, Ken was working at the Iowa Air National Guard at the airport in Des Moines. He was  a member of the 132d Fighter Wing, attending numerous war game exercises, adventures he  enjoyed telling stories about. At the airport, he would eventually rise to be a Senior Master  Sergeant, in charge of the Vehicle Maintenance section there. He especially treasured being able  to provide vehicle support for Air Force One and visiting presidents, including Russian premier  Nikita Kruschev.

After his retirement, Ken continued to keep busy with raising crops and cattle on his 160-acre  farm, as well as helping his wife, Linda, with her craft business, and other building and party-giving projects. Ken enjoyed working on any kind of engine or machinery, often inventing things to make them work better. After building a shop behind the house, Ken could be found out there  making doll beds for his granddaughters, or rocking horses for the grandboys, as well as teaching  himself how to make stained glass windows for the kitchen renovation he was doing for Linda.

Like his father Oliver, Ken was a civic leader. He was the chairman of an extensive project to  bring rural water to Warren County and parts of surrounding counties. He tirelessly went house  to house for months, helping people get signed up for more reliable water to their homes. When  his children were in school, he served on the school board.

He was a devoted Catholic all of his life, and gave of his time to the Parish Council, Knights of  Columbus, the annual Chicken Dinner, as a eucharistic minister, and taking care of the cemetery.  This last he did for 40+ years, giving continuity to a necessary position in his community.

He always loved his large family getting together, sharing stories and showing them things on  the farm. He was especially skilled at making homemade ice cream, (and consumer of it!) even  winning for his vanilla in the annual Croat Crank-off recently. Ken was a lifelong learner with a  great curiosity and a yen to travel. Ken and Linda traveled to many countries with Ken especially  enjoying seeing farming techniques in these foreign locales.

Ken's warmth and big smile will be greatly missed by his family and friends.

Memorial donations can be made to the St. Marys Fire Department.