William "Bill" Crane

William “Bill” Crane, also lovingly known as “Wild Bill,”77, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 11, 2026 at UnityPoint Iowa Methodist Medical Center with his wife at his side.

William Joseph Crane was born June 11, 1948 in Des Moines, Iowa. Bill was one of five children born to William “Doc” and Mary (McAndrews) Crane. He grew up in Adair, Iowa graduating from Adair Casey High School in 1966.

Bill worked for the Chicago Northwestern/Union Pacific Railroad as a TME for 38 years. He made his home in Marshalltown along with his first wife, Barbara A. Redden. From this union came his two sons, Casey and Riley. Bill and Barbara A. later separated and he met Barbara J McDowell (Goecke). They were united in marriage on October 26, 1991. With their marriage, Bill gained three additional children, Michelle, Mindy and Mark.

Those who knew Bill always knew he was the one to call when you needed help. He will forever be remembered for his willingness to put others needs above his own. In his free time, Bill enjoyed cooking larger than life dinners with no calories left behind. He enjoyed traveling with Barb including trips to Alaska, the Caribbean, trips to visit his sons Casey and Riley and wintering in Florida on the Gulf Shores. Additionally, he enjoyed tinkering in the garage. You may have recently seen him sampling various products at Sam’s Club on the weekends in Ames, selling one of Dave’s famous coffee cakes, or during fall season at the Marshalltown Compost. He never met a stranger.

Those left to remember and cherish his memory are his wife of 35 years, Barbara J. Crane of Marshalltown, IA; his sons, Casey (Kiki) Crane of Orlando, FL, Riley (Barbara Biscaro) Crane of San Francisco, CA; step-children, Michelle (Pat) Ryan of Denver, CO, Mindy (Ian) Buschbom of Marshalltown, IA and Mark (Megan) McDowell of Morrison, CO; grandchildren, Joshua, Nathan, Bella, Sophia, Delilah, Caius and Olivia Crane, Nolan and Chloe Crane, Jake and Max Ryan, Jordan Cline, Taylor (Colin) Wiley, Layla and Avery Buschbom and Cora and Winnie McDowell; one great-granddaughter, Peyton Wiley; siblings, Liz Papek of Kansas City, MO, Bob (Jamie Kelley) Crane of Taunton, MA and Tom (Cindy Rote) Crane of Sun City, AZ; along with numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Doc and Mary Crane; sister, Marguerite Crane; and brother-in-law, Gary Papek.

Bill was always the life of the party and in the true Bill fashion, a celebration of life will take place on Friday, June 19, 2026 from 5:00 until 7:00 P.M. at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home in Marshalltown. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Bill’s name may be designated to the Elk’s Lodge 312 of Marshalltown. For additional information or to send a condolence to the family, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.