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Bob Kerrigan, 77, of Afton, went home to be with the Lord Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, on the farmland of his childhood home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 11 a.m., Saturday, Jan. 17, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church. With Father Patrick Amedeka as Celebrant. Burial will be in the Calvary Cemetery west of Creston. Rosary will be said at 2:30 p.m Friday, Jan. 16, at Pearson Family Funeral Service, with the family receiving friends there from 3 - 5 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the Union County 4-H in memory of Bob. Condolences may be shared online at www.pearsonfuneralhomes.com.
Bob was born April 5, 1948, to LeRoy James Kerrigan and Marjorie Lois (Huss) Kerrigan in Creston. He grew up in Afton and graduated from East Union High School in 1966. Bob received a bachelor’s degree in animal science in May 1970 from Iowa State University in Ames.
On Aug. 30, 1967, it was love at first sight for both of them when he met Kris Steele. They were married Nov. 30, 1968. They lived in Ames until college graduation, then moved to Corydon, where he sold Harvestore (glass lined silos). He yearned to farm again, so in 1972 the family moved to Afton to farm Bernice Wickard’s land. Later, his brother Pat Kerrigan moved to Afton to farm with Bob and their father, Roy Kerrigan. On his final day on this earth, he was still doing what he loved - out checking the cows, and told his son Alex, “It’s a really nice day.”
Bob was honored by Governor Branstad for volunteering to rebuild the East Union High School’s football field. Kris was a 4-H leader for 10 years, but it was Bob who helped his daughters Angee and Rachel and the other 4-H members with their animals at the yearly Union County fairs. He also coached his two sons’, Wade and Alex, Little League baseball teams since he was on the baseball team when he was in high school.
In 1982, Bob and Kris built their log home, with neighbors pitching in to hoist the logs and drive the spikes through the timbers with sledgehammers. It was like Tom Sawyer painting that picket fence - men really wanted to do what Bob was doing. The men often helped each other to plant and harvest corn and bean crops.
Bob is survived by his wife of 57 years, Kris Kerrigan; his children: Wade (Jessica) Kerrigan of Kansas City, Missouri, Angee (Dave) Simmons of Kearney, Missouri, Alex (Missy) Kerrigan of Ankeny and Rachel (Kevin) Thomas of Kearney; his sister Sandy (Steve) Bradley of Oelwein; his brother Pat (Connie) Kerrigan of Afton and his 11 grandchildren: Eileen (Tyler) Benninghoff, Julia Kerrigan, Flannery Simmons, Georgia Kerrigan, Finnegan Simmons, Amelie Kerrigan, Franklin Kerrigan, Roy Thomas, Genevieve Kerrigan, Audrey Thomas and Margot Thomas.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy and Marj Kerrigan; his father-in-law Franklin Steele and mother-in-law Josephine Steele.