Thomas Daniel Curray Obituary (1936 - 2024)

Thomas Daniel Curray, 88, of Ankeny, Iowa, passed away on August 29, 2024, at Arbor Springs in West Des Moines. A memorial service to celebrate Tom's life will be held on Monday, September 23, 2024, at 11:00 AM at Cranston Family Funeral Home in Fairfield. Pastor Mark Clark will officiate the service. Following the service, Tom's cremains will be laid to rest at Batavia Cemetery. Memorials in Tom's honor to the Batavia Volunteer Fire Department may be left at the funeral home or mailed to the family at 1471 190th Street, Winterset, IA 50273. Friends and loved ones are invited to leave online condolences or join the webcast at www.cranstonfamilyfuneralhome.com He was born at the family farm to George and Gladys Curray on an extremely hot day on July 1st, 1936. His mom always reminded him of the record hot temperatures during the summer of 1936! Thomas graduated in 1954 from Batavia. After high school he worked several different jobs in town, and also traveled to California for work. In 1959 Tom reported to the army and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska. He continued his service until 1961. Tom met the love of life, Shirley Ann Salter and they were married on March 3rd of 1962 in Ottumwa, IA. They moved to Des Moines, IA for a very short time before settling in Ankeny for the rest of their lives. Together they were blessed with two children, Kimberly and Thomas. Tom was a hard worker and kept himself busy. He enjoyed doing construction projects and any type of handyman work. He built his garage and then rebuilt it again after the tornado in 1974. He also built a pickup camper that gave his children much enjoyment when traveling and camping. After having his farmhouse framed, he completed the rest of the work himself. He enjoyed using his knowledge of construction to help his family and friends out. He loved his family and friends, and their gatherings became part of their weekly schedules where often they were found playing cards and marbles. Tom had a deep love for pizza and homemade ice cream. He often shared his delicious homemade ice cream at all the family gatherings. Tom and Shirley had a deep love and connection with their grandchildren and great grandchildren, and were the most wonderful hosts to them, doing anything they could to help them out. Upon returning from his time in Alaska, he resumed his job at John Deere as a welder until he retired in 1990. Not too long after his retirement, he began farming the original family farm just down the road where he grew up in Batavia. Tom and Shirley were married for 61 years, until the passing of Shirley earlier this year on January 16, 2024. His heart was definitely broken, and he felt lost without her. Tom is survived by his daughter Kimberly (Michael) Hochstetler of Winterset and son Thomas (Karene) Curray of Bondurant. Grandchildren include Ashley (Andrew) Baker of Ward, AR, Tyler (Carol) Hochstetler of West Des Moines, Noah (Marisa Launstein) Hochstetler of Detroit, MI, Kailey, Rose, Sophie, Rylie and Levi Curray of Bondurant, IA. Great grandchildren include Austin and Anderson Baker, Fiona, Eliana, and Uriah and baby Salem Hochstetler- due in Nov of West Des Moines, IA. He was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley (Jan 2024), his sisters, Pearl Neil, Phyllis Pumphrey, Jean Haile, and grandson Alan Michael Curray.