This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Hanigan, Murphy, Sloth, Piernicky, McMains, Houston, Janssen, Brosnahan, Klein, Dorn Classification: Obituary Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/0k.2ADE/2179 Message Board Post: John T. Hanigan, 81, of Dunlap died Friday, September 10, 2004, at Creighton University Medical Center in Omaha, Neb. John was born August 20, 1923 near Dunlap, Iowa to parents Thomas M. and Catherine M. (Murphy) Hanigan. He attended country school and then graduated from St. Joseph Catholic High School in Dunlap in 1941. John then began farming alongside his father. On April 7, 1947, he married Betty I. Sloth and soon thereafter the couple began farming their own land outside of Dunlap. John was the happiest outside on his farm. He loved the land and the life of farming. He especially enjoyed farming with his brother, Jerry, and eventually his son. He took great pride in what they accomplished together. He was an avid euchre player and received endless enjoyment from the rowdy games he played in weekly. Rooted deeply in his own Irish values, John's family extended far beyond bloodlines. Kin or not, there was always room for one more at John and Betty's table. John was a life long member of St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Dunlap and a longtime member of the board of directors of Dunlap Savings Bank. John was preceded in death by his wife, Betty; his parents; his brother, Jerry; and infant granddaughter, Mary Piernicky. He is survived by his three children, Mary Catherine and her husband Mike Piernicky of Omaha, Neb., John Thomas Hanigan, Jr. and his wife Kathleen of Dunlap, and Jeanne Marie and her husband Fred McMains of Underwood. John also leaves behind six grandchildren: Michael and his wife Jaime, Megan, Sarah, Rachel, Nathan and Erin; great-grandchild, Jack Michael; sisters, Marie Houston of Dunlap, Kathleen Janssen of Des Moines, Marjorie Brosnahan of Logan, Virginia and her husband Gerald Klein of Dunlap; two sisters-in-law, Patsy Hanigan of Dunlap, Helen Dorn of Storm Lake; and many other relatives and friends. Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Dunlap Tuesday morning, Sept. 14, at 10 a.m. with Rev. Paul Strittmatter as celebrant. Musician was Marilyn Grote and vocalist was Jerry Baldwin who sang "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling." Final resting place was Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Dunlap. Pallbearers were John Hanigan, Jr., Michael E. Piernicky, Michael C. Piernicky, Fred McMains, Dick Hanigan, Jerry Hanigan. Fouts Funeral Home in Dunlap was in charge of arrangements.