Cecil L. Church

Cecil Laverne Church, 87, of Sioux City passed away Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, at Regency Square Nursing Home in South Sioux City. Services will be 10 a.m. Friday at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Burial will be in Graceland Park Cemetery, with military rites conducted by the U.S. Naval Reserves. Visitation with the family will be 5 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home. Condolences may be sent online to www.meyerbroschapels.com. Mr. Church was born on Oct. 6, 1926, the son of George and Alice (Collins) Church, one-and-one-half miles west of Macy, Neb. He attended elementary school, Macy High School and South Sioux City High School. He also attended radio school in Omaha. He served his country during World War II with the U.S. Navy. He married Mary Ann Sanford of South Sioux City on Aug. 15, 1946, in Omaha. Mary passed away in 1991. He later married Betty Crawford of Sioux City in September 1999, in Elk Point, S.D. He was a carpenter for W.A. Klinger Construction Co. Cecil was a 50-year member of the Local Union 948. He served as a member of the South Sioux City Volunteer Fire Department for many years. He also was a volunteer Little League baseball coach for South Sioux City. He was a member of the South Sioux City Eagles and the Siouxland Senior Center. In his retirement years, he loved to oil paint, dance and travel to Florida for the winter. He was an avid reader. He freely lent much of his carpenter skills and knowledge to friends and family members. Survivors include his wife, Betty Church of Sioux City; a daughter, Julie A. Church of Sioux City; seven grandchildren, Staci Hill, Nicole Johs, Robert Chamberlain, Tyler Griffin, Aaron Griffin, Brady Griffin, and Cory Church; and 13 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary; two sons; two daughters; three sisters; two brothers; and his parents.