BOONE, Iowa—A funeral service has been set for 83 year old Ralph A. Kanne of Boone, Iowa. He passed away Friday, June 5, 2020 at MercyOne Medical Center in Des Moines.
Funeral service celebrating Ralph’s life will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at the Fareway Conference Center at the Cobblestone Inn & Suites in Boone. The conference center will be open to the public at 9:30 A.M. for immediate seating. Seating will be limited to 50 percent capacity and social distancing and face masks are encouraged. This service may be viewed at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84656700973
A private Mass of the Christian Burial for immediate family will be celebrated at 1:00 P.M. on Thursday, June 11, 2020 at St. John’s Catholic Church in Ogden. This service may be viewed at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86872886697
A public committal service will be held at 3:30 P.M. on Thursday, June 11, 2020 in the Mount Olivet Cemetery in Carroll, Iowa with military honors by the American Legion Post #7. As stated previously, social distancing and face masks are encouraged.
Ralph Anthony Kanne was born on January 10, 1937 to Edward and Marie (Fleskes) Kanne in Carroll, IA. He attended Carroll High School where he was active in all sports and ‘social activities.’ He loved to remind his family he was the Class of 1955 – Carroll High Glamour Guy.
Ralph enlisted in the United States Army, serving in New Orleans, LA for 18 months and then the USAR Iowa Military District. After serving, Ralph was reunited with his “sweetheart”, Jan Wittry, whom he had known since Kindergarten. On December 27, 1958, Ralph and Jan were married at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Carroll by Bishop Frank H. Greteman.
Ralph began working at Fareway Stores, Inc., in 1951. During his tenure, his career took his family from Carroll to Clear Lake (1970 -1975), Indianola (1975 – 1981) and finally to Boone in 1981. Ralph worked his way from “carry out boy” to Retail Corporate Supervisor, where he traveled the state of Iowa training, mentoring and influencing many lives. He was honored to serve on the Fareway Stores, Inc. Board of Directors. He retired after 51 years of dedicated service.
Along with his faith, Ralph’s first love was Jan. He was a devoted husband, a loving and supportive father and an extremely proud grandfather. He knew no strangers and sought to make each person he met feel important. To know Ralph was to love him. He was an honored and respected man, known for his great integrity.
Ralph was a member of Church of the Sacred Heart in Boone, the Knights of Columbus (Fourth Degree Knight), the Boone Golf and Country Club, and the Boone Elks.
This honorable and gentle man will be missed greatly by his wife of 61 years, Jan Kanne of Boone; children, Roxanne Kanne-Roush (Kent Roush) of Grimes, Jayne (Randy) Welch of Urbandale, and Michael (Joy) Kanne of Austin, MN; grandchildren, Anne (Bret) Spurgin of Charles City, Kristine (Eric) Anderson of Urbandale, Maddison (Robert) LeWarne of Iowa City, Erika Welch of Urbandale, Charles Kanne of Austin, MN, and Ellen Kanne of Austin, MN; his first great-grandchild is yet to arrive in July, Baby Anderson; siblings, Renee (Ronald) Fricke of Carroll, Joleen (Daryl) Reiman of Carroll, Jean (John) Keller of Stuart, and Mark (Barb) Kanne of Austin, MN.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Marie Kanne; brother, Eddie Kanne; and sister, Marguerite (Ervin) Bauer.
Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Schroeder-Reimers Memorial Chapel at Sixth and Marshall Streets in Boone and online condolences may be left to Ralph’s family at www.schroedermemorialchapel.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Church of the Sacred Heart in Boone.
