Cecil Leroy Worley passed away peacefully in his sleep during the early morning hours of November 2, 2026, after a long battle with congestive heart failure and other cardiac issues.

Leroy was born September 17, 1934, in Forbes, MO (though it was erroneously recorded as having been September 18 due to the doctor’s filing of the birth on that date). He attended and graduated high school from Forest City schools and married his high school sweetheart, Helen Irene Cooperider. They were married in the Christian Church in Forest City, MO, on January 21, 1953. He originally began working with the railroads as a teenager, but in August, 1953 he took a job with Rainbow Bakery and moved to St. Joseph, MO.

He worked with the bakery for the next several years while his family grew – His first born son, Dennis, joined the family on January 18, 1954. Next to arrive was Michael (Mike) who was born on March 10, 1956. Their third child, Beverly Kay, became a part of the family on October 27, 1957. Their last child, John, was born on August 27, 1962.

In August, 1966, Leroy moved to Kansas City to be a part of Manor Bakery, the employer from which he would eventually retire from in 1983. Thereafter, he took a job working with Fleischman’s Yeast. In 1995, he and his wife joined the “snow bird” community by buying a house in Apache Junction, AZ, to which they commuted until moving back to St. Joseph full time in 2005, and then onto Savannah, MO. Early in the COVID pandemic, he and his wife opted to leave Savannah behind and moved to the retirement community of Silvercrest at Deer Creek in Overland Park, KS in October 2020; the place both would call their home until their passing.

Throughout his life, Leroy was dedicated to his family and he worked diligently in his jobs to ensure that they were provided for. He also enjoyed many leisure time activities including world travel (he really loved his trip to Rome, Italy), square dancing, country music, watching football (college and pro), table games such as Pinochle, Cribbage, Bingo and many more, as well as grilling out when the weather permitted. And he truly loved visiting family and being visited by family. Toward the latter part of his life, he often remarked how much he enjoyed the Thursday lunches he would attend with his siblings at the Frederick Inn in St. Joseph.

Leroy came from a large family that he loved deeply. He was preceded in death by his wife, Irene, who died in 2023. He is the last of his natal family to die, and he has joined his parents, Cecil and Abby, his brothers, Richard, Ronnie, Larry, Paul and Sherman, as well as his sister Rosie, in the blessed afterlife. Leroy’s brother-in-law Frank also preceded him in death.

Leroy is survived by his brother-in-law Wallace, his four children, his grandchildren Lenae & Kenan, Jim & Debra, and Sion & Clarissa; and by his great-grandchildren Taylor & Maddox, Kaiden & Tristen, and Marina. He is also survived by numerous nephews, nieces, grandnephews and grandnieces too numerous to list.

As a final wish, Leroy wanted it to be known that, “I did really care about others.”