Obituary: Carl Lawrence Ford

Carl Lawrence (Larry) Ford was born May 29, 1940, on a farm near Tingley, Iowa to Carl J and Ann Smith Ford. He was later joined by Thomas Edward, John Alan (passed away at birth), and Carla Ann. He attended Tingley School where he rode his pony Little Joe every day, graduating from Tingley in 1958. While in school he was active in 4-H where he showed Hereford cattle. He served in the Army Reserves and was stationed at Ft. Leonard Wood Missouri. His main love was motorcycles, a good joke, and farming.
In the spring of 1960, he went on a blind date where he met the love of his life, Charlene Cheers. They were married in July of 1961 and settled on the farm on Blackmore Corner in rural Ellston where they farmed for 30 years and raised three children: Laura Ann, Mary Lou, and John Andrew. In 1991 they purchased what was known as ‘the Allen place’ and farmed there until 2001 when they built the house in Tingley where they retired from farming.
Larry loved farming and the land, but his grandkids and great grandkids held a special place in his heart. His grandkids had a whole list of things it was okay to do with Grandpa Lar but not in front of Mom. Larry and Char milked cows on the farm until 1992. Larry served the public on several boards and was later elected as a Ringgold County Supervisor for one term.
Larry passed away December 30th at Clearview Nursing Home at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Charlene; daughter Laura Ann and friend Dave Kauzlarich of Winterset; daughter Mary Lou and friend Buster Webb of Defiance; and son John Andrew and wife Amy of Mount Ayr. Grandchildren: Christopher Lilienthal and wife Megan and Zak; Mitchell Lilienthal and wife Alex, Holden and Lewis; Amanda Hauer; Daniel Hauer; Andrew Ford and friend Niki Siders, Riley, Apollo and Huxley; and Christopher Ford.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, his father-in-law and mother-in-law Orley and Gladys Cheers, and infant grandson Jacob Hauer.
Funeral Mass was 11:00 am Friday, January 2, 2026 at St Joseph’s Catholic Church in Mount Ayr. Honorary pallbearers were his grandchildren Christopher Lilienthal, Andrew Ford, Christopher Ford, Amanda Hauer, Mitchell Lilienthal, Daniel Hauer and his special friend Jim Bradley. Burial will be at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be accepted for the Tingley Community Building and Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church. Armstrong Funeral Home in Mount Ayr was in charge of the arrangements.