William Deal

William K. Deal was born Sept. 6, 1936 in Des Moines, Iowa to Robert Deal II and Vera (Burns) Deal. He graduated from Bagley High School in 1954 and Iowa State University, College of Agriculture, in 1958.

After teaching Ag education in Correctionville, Iowa for one year, he married Patricia Heiland on June 21, 1959. He then joined the U.S. Navy as an officer. He served on board an L.S.T., the USS DeSota County followed by service in the Communications Center of the Atlantic Fleet Headquarters.

Bill and Pat’s first child, Tamara, was born on July 17, 1961 in Norfolk, Virginia. Following the sudden death of his father, Bill returned to Iowa to farm. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in October 1962. The following year, on July 24, 1963, Bill and Pat’s second daughter, Cynthia, was born.

Bill farmed in the Guthrie Co. area and expanded the operation to include hogs. A small cow herd was maintained throughout the years with a small feeder calf operation. In 1974, Bill built Fair Deal Hog Farm in conjunction with his mother, Vera Deal, and brother, Robert (Bob) Deal III.  This 500-sow operation was a state-of-the-art facility, carefully managing disease prevention and monitoring and tracking individual sow production. The facility eventually expanded to include a grain mill and finishing facilities. A member of the Guthrie County Pork Producers for over 40 years, Bill served as a director and county president for several years. In 1983, Bill was named a Master Pork Producer by the Iowa Pork Producers.

Bill was a member of Lions Club (past president) and Masons for over 50 years. He was on his church board and served as lay leader for several years. He served on the Yale-Jamaica-Bagley School Board for six years and as president, of the board, for the last two years.

In 1998, Pat Deal died after a battle with pancreatic cancer. In her memory, Bill provided leadership toward the fund raising and construction of a new, much-needed library facility in Panora. Bill’s other philanthropic interests included  the Salvation Army, Panora Public Library and Panora Fire Department. He established the W.K. Deal Endowed Leadership Lecture at Iowa State University and provided endowed scholarship funds for students at Panorama High School and Iowa State University. Bill also endowed research funds at Mayo Clinic for pancreatic cancer research and Lewy Body Disease research.

Bill married Judy Blackburn of Des Moines on August 20, 2000. They continued to live at Lake Panorama, spending winters in Arizona or The Villages in Florida where Bill passed away on November 24, 2016.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and brother. He is survived by his wife, Judy Deal of Panora; daughters, Tamara Deal of Panora and Cyndi Atkins of Pella; grandchildren, Benjamin and Megan Atkins. Survivors also include Judy’s children: Tanya (Helmut) Kopke of Chicago, Ill., Michael (Jenny) Blackburn of Denver, Colo. and Susan (Beau) Crockett of New Orleans, La.; and six step-grandchildren. He will be missed by many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, December 3, 2016 at Panora United Methodist Church. Burial will be in the Dodge Township Cemetery, rural Bagley. Visitation will be Friday, December 2, 2016 from 5-7 p.m. with a Masonic Service at 7 p.m. at the Twigg Funeral Home, Panora.