Long-time FC Lanes owner Ken Coonce passes away Sunday


    Former Falls City Lanes Bowling Alley Owner/Operator  and devoted Ceremonial Honor Guard member Kenneth C. Coonce passed away Sunday, Aug. 23, 2015 in Lincoln. He was 82.
    His funeral will be held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 27, at Christ Lutheran Church, with Rev. Daniel Gifford officiating. Interment will be in Rulo Cemetery, with military graveside honors by Falls City Ceremonial Honor Guard. The family will receive friends from 7-8 p.m. Wednesday at Dorr and Clark Funeral Home.
     Ken purchased Falls City Lanes in 1995 and operated the bowling alley until his retirement earlier this year. Prior to that, he drove the Head Start school bus and worked at Carpet Plus in Hiawatha, KS.
Coonce was a military man for 23 years, enlisting in the U.S. Army on Dec. 28, 1951 at Omaha. He served in Korea and earned the Korean Service Medal with three bronze service stars, the United Nations Service Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Good Conduct Medal and the National Defense Service Medal. He was discharged from the Army on Sept. 24, 1953, but then entered the Army Reserves. He was honorably discharged in 1975. Ken was a member of the Ceremonial Honor Guard, VFW, American Legion, D.A.V. and V.V.A. He also served two terms of the Falls City Public District 56 School Board for two terms.
    He was born on Sept. 19, 1932 at Rulo to Noah and Mary (Steinauer) Coonce. Ken was raised in Rulo and graduated from Rulo High School in 1950. On June 12, 1955, he married Mary Lou Haeffele at Falls City.
    He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou, of Falls City; children, Audrey (B.J.) Pedersen, and Kendra (Brian) Ballagh, all of Falls City, Edward (Donna) Coonce, of Topeka, KS, and Jill (Russell) Sumpter, of Saltan, WA; brothers, William and John (Edna) Coonce, all of Rulo; sisters, Mary Lou Hill, of Falls City, Inez (Kenneth) Foster, of Dallas, TX, and Mary Helen Croxton, of Powhattan, KS; 14 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren and two on the way.
    Ken was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, James, Robert and Ronald; sisters, Lula Hall, Bev Simpson, Ramona Eckley and Maxine Dannecker.
    More information can be found at www.dorrandclark.com

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