J.J. LEPLEY was an early resident of the Maloy community. He lived on the same farm located a mile south, 1/4 mile west, one mile south and 1/4 mile back east of town for 77 years. In later years he lived just south of Maloy on the west side of the road. He came to the Maloy area when he was 13 years of age in the year 1875.

John LEPLEY and Ida May LOWDER were married in 1887, and their seven children were all born on this farm, the first three children in a small house, the rest in the large house that John built in 1898.

The family, in order of their age, included: Mary LEPLEY GREY (sic, should be GRAY), Bessie LEPLEY HOOVER, Roy LEPLEY, Emma LEPLEY DAVIS, Lee LEPLEY, Agnes LEPLEY WOOD and Merle LEPLEY.

The first of the family children to graduate from Maloy High School were Agnes and Merle, as there was not a high school for the older children. Lee LEPLEY of Blockton, Iowa and Agnes WOOD of Atascadero, California are the living members of the family.

The mother, Ida, died in 1922 during the palgue of black smallpox, a deadly disease at that time. The funeral was conducted outside in betterly cold weather and only the immediate family attended. She is buried in the cemetery 1 1/2 miles south of Four Corners. Mr. LEPLEY was buried there when his time came in 1952.

The only one of this LEPLEY family to remain in the Maloy community was Roy LEPLEY. Roy married [February 22, 1917] Cleota BOWEN of Blockton. They moved to John's farm two miles south of Maloy in about 1930-31 from the Clearfield area. They had three children: Maureen, Lynette and John Kenneth. The family lived there unitl 1948 when Roy and Cleota purchased the Charles NEWBURN farm northwest of town and moved there. In a few years they purchased a home in Mount Ayr and eventually were one of the first couples to take resdency in the Mount Ayr Manor apartment complex. Roy passed away in 1979 and Cleota a few years later.

Roy LEPLEY wore many hats in Ringgold County. He was named chairman of the AAA (Triple A) farm program in its beginning in 1936. He served in this capacity until he was elected Ringgold County auditor and served for two terms. Roy also served on many worthwhile committees for events planed in the county [including chairman of the Ringgold County Centennial Celebration]. He was a Maloy Independent school board member for many years.

Their family includes the following:
Maureen graduated from Maloy High School in 1935. She taught fifth and sixth grades in Maloy from 1938-40. She married Daryl WAGGONER in the "parlor" of the farm home her grandfather had built. They have three children: Wayne, Lynette and Vicky. Maureen continued to teach until retirement. Daryl retired from an elevator business in New Hartford, Iowa where they make their home.

The LEPLEY'S daughter, Lynette, passed away in July, 1938, just before her senior year.

John Kenneth LEPLEY graduated from Maloy High School with the class of 1942. He went to Northwest Missouri State Teachers College and played basketball under Sparky STALCUP and Ryland MILLER. He graduated in 1949. he then began teaching and coaching at the Roland School where he coached Gary THOMPSON*, one of the all-time great basketball players at Iowa State University and now a sportscaster on national TV.

February 21, 1947 the parlor of Granddad's farm home again became the scene of a wedding when Kenneth and Kathryn ARNOLD, whom he had met on a blind date while in the Navy in Florida, were married. The bride honored her husband's mother by wearing the wedding gown Mrs. LEPLEY had worn many years before. Ken and Kay are the parents of three children: Rick, John Randll and Holly. There are five granddchildren and they all live in or near Des Moines.

In 1949 "Lep" quit teaching and went withthe new Ames-in-Cross chicken business. Since then, the company and owners have changed, but Kenneth stayed on with the compnay known as Foxbilt, Inc. In 1961 Triple F Feeds was started. This company has now [1987] become diversified and has plants in Japan and England and other overseas countries and Mr. Lepley travels extensively to conduct the company business. There are also plants producing many feed products in the Unied States. The company is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year [1987] with J. Kenneth LEPLEY as its president. The main plant is in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines. J. K. LEPLEY keeps close contact with the soil in the land of his roots. he owns farms in Benton township and often travels here to oversee their operation.

He and Kay celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on February 21, 1987.

NOTES: John J. LEPLEY died at the age of 89 years at the home of his daughter, Mary (LEPLEY) GRAY in Idaho Falls, Idaho on May 27, 1952. Ida May (LOWDER) LEPLEY, was born near Albia, Iowa on August 2, 1866, and died at the age of 55 years February 28, 1922. John's father John LEPLEY was born October 11, 1817, and died at the age of 77 years October 12, 1894. John's mother Mary LEPLEY was born in 1857 and died at the age of 65 years in 1882. They were buried at Oak Ridge (a.k.a. Forrest Home) Cemetery, Ringgold County, Iowa.

Cleota C. BOWEN LEPLEY died in February of 1981.

From 1950-53 Gary THOMPSON led the Roland Rockets to high school sports glory in basketball and baseball, giant-killers from one of Iowa's small schools. Then he led the Cyclones at Iowa State from 1953-57, becoming the college's first two-sport All-American. He experienced major success in broadcasting and business from his home base in Ames. Then, for 34 years, he was a nationally-known commentator on TV coverage of college basketball. For 19 years, he and nationally-known play-by-play broadcaster Jay RANDOLPH were the team that did Big Eight Conference men's basketball on a midwestern televison network THOMPSON continued on the Big Eight package after RANDOLPH left the broadcast team. He also worked with many of the nation's top sportscasters on telecasts of major intersectional games and NCAA tournaments. His television career wound up with THOMPSON as the color commentator for telecasts of the team he knew and loved best – the Iowa State Cyclones.

SOURCE: Maloy, Iowa Centennial History: 1887 - 1987 p. 138-40.

Courtesy of Mount Ayr Public Library

Transcription and Notes by Sharon R. Becker, August of 2011