Gracia Forney

A funeral service for Gracia L. (Aldrich) Forney, age 90, will be held at 2:30, Friday, July 17, at the Rodney United Church of Christ, Rodney, Iowa. The family will be present one hour before the service.

 In lieu of flowers, please send memorials in memory of Gracia, to United Church of Christ, PO Box 71, Rodney, Iowa 51051.

Gracia Forney was born to Byron and Dorothy (Cleveland) Aldrich April 15, 1936, in her family home at rural Rodney, Iowa. Gracia grew up in a loving family made up of her grandparents, Lewis and Grace (McDonald) Cleveland; her mother, Dorothy Aldrich; her brother Lowell Aldrich; her aunt, Hazel Cleveland; and her uncle, Jim Cleveland. Grandpa Lew passed away while Uncle Jim was serving in the South Pacific during World War II, and Uncle Jim served as a father figure for the family when he returned from military service.

Gracia attended elementary school in Rodney and graduated from Smithland High School in 1954. She moved to Omaha and worked as a secretary at Mutual of Omaha. Gracia married Orval Donald Forney in 1957. Gregory Lowell was born in 1958 and Teresa Ann was born in 1959. Don, Gracia and family moved around for a few years while Don was working on heavy construction, including building the interstate highway system, but eventually moved back to the family farm near Rodney. Forney Construction, a carpentry business run by Don and managed by Gracia, was their career for decades. They built their own home on the family farm site in the Loess Hills, just a short distance from the home where Gracia was born and raised. Gracia lived most of her life on the family farm, surrounded by her extended family. She attended the United Church of Christ in Rodney, where she also taught Sunday School and served as the Sunday School superintendent as well as various offices on the church board. Gracia was a stay at home mom while Greg and Teresa were growing up, and served in the Maple Valley Band Booster Club. She resumed working outside the home after her children graduated. Gracia worked as a secretary in law offices in Mapleton, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska, for a number of years; and then worked at Mapleton Trust and Savings Bank for many years until she retired in 2001.

Don and Gracia enjoyed their retirement living on the family farm, attending their children's concerts and contest performances, playing with their grandchildren, and traveling around the country. Gracia was a wonderful caretaker for her mother, aunt and uncle as they aged. Don passed away in 2019. Gracia lived alone on the family farm for four years with her precious fur baby, Dottie Belle, before moving to WEL-Life assisted living in Spirit Lake in 2023.

Gracia was preceded in death by her parents, husband Don and brother Lowell. Gracia is survived by her son Greg (Julie) Forney Spirit Lake; daughter Teresa (Terry) Keehn Salem, South Dakota; grandchildren Brian (Olivia) Forney, Nicholas(Kimberlee) Forney, Kelly (Brandi) Keehn, Alex (Beth) Keehn, Nathan (Jodi) Forney, Logan Keehn, Audra (Austin) Bertram, and ten great-grandchildren.