GANGER, CHARLES T., JR.
Charles T. Ganger Jr. age 90, of Cherokee, IA, passed away Sunday, April 7, 2013, at the Cherokee Regional Medical Center. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at the Greenwood-Schubert Funeral Home in Cherokee. Friends may greet the family at the funeral home from 9 a.m. until service time on Saturday. Military rites will be conducted by the VFW L.A. Wescott Post #2253.
Charles “Chuck” Thomas Ganger Jr., the son of Charlie and Susie (Ritter) Ganger, was born in Lake View, Iowa on June 16, 1922. His childhood years were spent in Peterson, Iowa where his family owned and operated a restaurant. He received his education in the Peterson schools.
Chuck served as a Marine Corps Raider in WWII. He was involved in three 1st wave landings. He made and lost many friends in those years. He continued to keep in touch with their many families, calling them on the anniversaries of events he shared with their loved ones. These yearly calls meant so much to the families. Above all, he was a very proud Marine.
He married Alice (Toni) DeWaay on September 10, 1950. They started married life in Peterson, Iowa, where he served as the city mayor. He was instrumental in the building of the city pool, which is still in use to this day. Chuck and Alice were blessed with three children, Charles “Dude”, Ann and Mary. Chuck was a partner in the Sioux Dairy with his brother Freddie, and he and Toni owned Dee’s Dairy in Cherokee and Paullina. He owned Chuck Ganger Buick Opel, and also owned and operated Daylight Donuts, both in Cherokee. He had many interests, including camping with family, and collecting numerous beautiful antiques with Toni. He loved his many convertible cars. He enjoyed snowmobiling with friends. He and Toni raised Collie dogs. He loved music–Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Willie Nelson were some of his favorites. He enjoyed visiting with his sister Mable, and watching the same old movies they watched at the Peterson Theater when there were in their youth. Chuck was known to repeatedly quote his older brother Merlyn’s riddles to anyone who would listen. In fact, his children and grandchildren could repeat them at a very early age.
He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, Merlyn, Freddie and infant brother Jesse, and one sister Mable and her husband Bernard Larson.
He will lovingly be remembered by Toni, his wife of 63 years, his son Dude Ganger and his wife Lori of Cherokee, and two daughters, Ann Ganger and her partner Jamie Chess of Illinois, and Mary Ganger of Arizona; two grandchildren Kate and Charlie Ganger; two sisters-in-law, Virginia Ganger of Iowa, and Theora DeWaay of Iowa; brother-in-law Claire DeWaay and his wife Carol of California; many nieces and nephews, other relatives and friends.