LAURANCE MARION BISHOP

Laurance Marion Bishop was born in Minnesota on June 24, 1929. His parents were Ross Eber and Olive Moffett Bishop. He was also welcomed by older brother, James Donovan and older sisters, Marjorie Aletha and Elizabeth Patricia. The family moved to Mount Ayr when he was very young. Laurance passed away on January 6, 2019 at home near Mount Ayr, Iowa.
Laurance attended grade school and high school in Mount Ayr and graduated with the class of 1949. He was involved in many sports and especially enjoyed football. Laurance served as student manager of high school sports before he was in high school. It was also in high school that he met his future wife, Margaret Turner.
Laurance had many jobs as he was growing up – he worked for many farmers, he delivered milk, stripped blue grass and worked at filling stations. He and a friend worked for Iowa State Conservation Commission at Spirit Lake after his freshman year of high school. He and Allen Richards had a feed store. They, along with Gene Sickels, answered the call to duty and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in January 1951. They went to Great Lakes Navel Training Center for training. Laurance was assigned to Barbers Point NAS in Hawaii.
It was while Laurance was stationed there that he and Margaret were married on September 4, 1952. On July 3, 1953, they were joined by Randy Allen Bishop. After also being stationed in San Diego, CA, he was discharged and returned to Iowa. Two more boys joined the family – Larry Kirk on Feb. 2, 1955 and Terry Lynn on June 7, 1957.
Laurance and Margaret joined the family farm operation and Laurance also worked at local sale barns. In 1988, he turned the farming operation over to the boys and he joined Randy Vardaman at Central States Resources Co., an investment company based in Omaha, Nebraska.
Laurance was one who liked to stay busy, whether it was work or an activity he was involved in. The family was involved in Saddle Club activities for many years. He and Margaret enjoyed bowling for many years. He was an active member of Mount Ayr United Methodist Church. He was a 60-year member of Masonic Lodge Faith Lodge #179; he served as Worshipful Master during their 100-year celebration. He was recognized as Legend in Masonry by the Grand Master in 2017. He served as Rainbow Dad for several girls.
He was preceded in death by his parents; parents-in-law, Barton and Bernice Turner; brother, James and wife, Florence; sister, Marjorie and husband, Norman; brother-in-law, William Jefferson; and grandson, Ross Bishop.
Survivors include wife, Margaret of the home; son, Randy, wife, Christine, and their children: Shane, wife, Kim, and their children, Tyler and Maverick; Mekenze, husband, Casey Cortum, and their children, Kendell and Jorey; Kegan, wife, Jessica, and their children, Barrett and Skylar; son, Larry, his daughter, Brenna; and son, Terry, wife, Lori, and their children, Tyler, Emily and Sarah Campbell. Other survivors include his sister, Elizabeth Jefferson of Colorado; nieces, nephews and a host of other family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are established to the Mount Ayr Methodist Church and the Ringgold County Conservation Board. Open visitation will be held at Armstrong Funeral Home on Thursday, January 10 from 12:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. with the family present Thursday 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Services will be at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 11, 2019 at the United Methodist Church in Mount Ayr, Iowa.
Officiating will be Rev. Melvin Ammon.
Pianist will be Deb Cannon.
Congregational hymns will be “In The Garden” and “Hymn of Promise”.
Masonic rites will be by Faith Lodge #179 AF and AM.
Casketbearers will be Shane Bishop, Mekenze Cortum, Brenna Bishop, Kegan Bishop, Tyler Campbell, Emily Campbell, Sarah Campbell and Lyle Faris.
Military honors by the Ringgold Post #172 and U.S. Navy Honor Guard.
Laurance will be laid to rest at Rose Hill Cemetery in Mount Ayr, Iowa.