Wayne Ragan

Wayne Ragan, a 97-year-old resident of Mercer, died on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016 at the Genesis Westwing Place in DeWitt, IA.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, at the Mercer Baptist Church with Pastor Ron Helton officiating. Burial will be in the Middlepoint Cemetery, west of Mercer.
Open visitation will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, at the church, where the family visitation will be held one hour prior to the funeral at 10 a.m. Greenlee-Middleton Funeral Chapel of Princeton is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Ragan was born on Sept. 24, 1918 on the family farm near Mercer, the son of Perry Alden and Florence Gladys Black Ragan. He was raised in the Mercer community, where he was a 1936 graduate of Mercer High School. After graduation, he worked in a CC Camp during the Great Depression for two years. He later joined the Army Air Corp in 1942 where he was a mechanic on the B-24, B-17, and B-29 aircraft during World War II, receiving his discharge in 1945. He then farmed for 25 years in Mercer County. After retirement from farming, he worked as the maintenance person at the Oakwood Terrace Apartments in Princeton for 21 years.
Mr. Ragan was a member of the Mercer Assembly of God Church and the Ragan-Hickman American Legion Post #477 of Mercer. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, woodworking, Bible study, being with his family and doing for others.
He was married on April 12, 1941 to Willalee Lorene McHargue, who preceded him in death on Oct. 18, 2004.
He is survived by his three daughters, Mary Cunningham and her husband, Dennis of St. Petersburg, FL, Donna Lanier and her husband, Mike and Pat Younkin and her husband, Fran, all of Eldridge, IA; his two sons, Tom Ragan and his wife, Nancy of Eldridge and Doug Ragan and his wife, Carol of Mercer; one sister, Barbara Laughlin and her husband, Tom of West Des Moines, IA; 10 grandchildren; 21 great-grandchildren; four great-great-grandchildren; and other relatives and friends.
In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his parents; an infant sister, Mary Deloris Ragan; a sister, Doris West; two brothers, Jack and Deane Ragan; a grandson, Welton Lanier; and a great-great-grandson, Gazorillo Ragan.
The family requests memorial contributions to the Genesis Westwing Place. Contributions may be mailed to the funeral home at PO Box 316, Princeton, MO 64673.