Funeral Services for Francis Cudahy, 100, of Jefferson, IA will be 10:30 am Friday, February 12, 2010 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Jefferson. Interment will be in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Jefferson, IA. Visitation will be after 11:00 am Thursday at Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home in Jefferson with the family present to greet friends from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm with a Knights of Columbus Rosary Service at 7:00 pm. Memorials are suggested to St. Joseph’s Church Foundation, the Greene County Historical Society, the Jefferson Public Library or any charity of the donor’s choice and may be left at Slininger-Rossow Funeral Home in Jefferson.

Francis L. Cudahy, 100, died Saturday, February 6, 2010 at Friendship Haven, Fort Dodge, Iowa. He was born November 7, 1909 in Hardin Township, Greene County, Iowa, the third of eight children of F.P. and Margaret (McNulty) Cudahy. He was the last surviving member of his family.

Francis was a life long resident of Jefferson, Iowa, graduating from Jefferson High School in 1928 and Creighton University School of Law in 1935. He practiced law in Jefferson for 50 years, retiring in 1985.

In September of 1937 he married Margaret Minnihan at St. Joseph’s Church, Jefferson. They were the parents of four children, one of whom, Timothy Joseph, died in infancy. Margaret, his wife of sixty four years, died in 2001.

He is survived by three children, Kathleen (Thomas) Kregel, Fort Dodge, IA; Mary (Robert) Daniel, Gettysburg, PA; and Dr. Terence Cudahy (Kristin) of Indianapolis, IN. Francis was the grandfather of six children: Kaleen (Matthew) Mikulski, Eagan, MN, Monica (David) Barber, Lititz, PA, Matthew Daniel , Asheville, NC and Tom, Anne and Emma Cudahy of Indianapolis. Great grandchildren include Meg Mikulski, Tiernan and Maura Barber.

During his life Francis was an active member of his community, church, and profession. He served in Jefferson city government for twenty five years as council member, mayor and city attorney. He chaired the committee that oversaw the construction of the Mahanay Bell Tower, as well as the Mahanay Educational Trust. He was inducted into the Bell Tower Hall of Fame in 1991. He served as president of the Chamber of Commerce and was a founder of the Community Chest and the Jefferson Benevolent Society. He was a 65 year member of the Jefferson Rotary Club as well as a past president and a Paul Harris Fellow. In 2001 he retired from the Board of Directors of the Home State Bank, having served for fifty years.

Francis was a member of the Greene County Bar Association and very active in the Iowa Bar Association, as a member of the Board of Governors for several years. He was a member of the Judicial Reform Commission, whose work resulted in Iowans electing their judges. In 1968 he served as President of the Iowa Bar Association. The Iowa Supreme Court appointed him to the state’s Board of Law Examiners, which he chaired for four years. He was elected a Fellow of the American College of Probate Counsel and was a member and officer of the regional Catholic Lawyers Guild.

Much of his life was devoted to his church. He served as historian, parish director at St. Joseph’s and parish representative to the diocese, as well as acting as counsel to several bishops and priests of the Sioux City Diocese. A particular interest was religious education. He taught high school students in CCD for 30 years. Pope John Paul XXIII named him a Knight of St. Gregory, a papal honor for outstanding contributions to his church and community.