Cory Willis

Daniel Cory Willis was born on October 20, 1972, in Mount Ayr, Iowa, to Francis and Elaine Willis. Older siblings Craig and Kim welcomed him home, then later came another brother, Cole.

Cory was baptized as a child at the Mount Ayr First Baptist Church. He grew up following Craig and Kim around, playing sports, showing cattle, and building demolition derby cars. He spent many nights working on demo cars as he got older, along with late nights in the barn showing cattle at the local, state, and national level. He graduated from Mount Ayr High School in 1991, tried college for a semester before deciding to work for a few years. Those years were filled with many fun times on the farm with his friends. The little house on the hill, and later, the shop, a popular spot on the weekends, creating long-lasting memories. In the mid-90’s, he decided to commit to earning a degree in secondary education and coaching. He graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 1998 then took what would be his one and only teaching and coaching job in Pleasantville, Iowa, in 1999.

Over the next 26 years, he became a dedicated, valued and highly respected member of the teaching staff at Pleasantville Jr./ Sr. High School, teaching high school social studies and coaching varsity and junior high volleyball and basketball over the years, along with running the scoreboard for football and basketball games for years. He discovered a passion for teaching and coaching; holding kids to high expectations using creative methods to engage his students. Mr. Willis welcomed all students into his classroom with the same expectations, just do your job and be respectful; and his students did. While his expectations were high, his caring attitude and calm classroom made his students feel safe and valued. He was blessed to hear from several students before his passing, saying “As a teacher, you never really know if you are impacting kids’ lives, but I guess I have.” Students enjoyed his 80’s play lists, posters in his classroom, learning to play Rats during May-term, all of the games & competitions he had in his classroom and on the court. Students also enjoyed moving things around in his immaculately kept classroom, just to see if he noticed. He always did. The constant professional, Cory reported to school for the first 3 days of this school year before being placed in Hospice Care. In his mind, he had a contract to fulfill, and nothing was going to stop him from doing his job.

With his nieces and nephews, Uncle Cory never missed an opportunity to teach them something as well. He would conduct impromptu lessons on how to clip and fit a calf, how to serve a volleyball, how to shoot a basketball or throw a football, how to fix something in the shop, and how to play cards during the holidays. Uncle Cory wouldn’t do it for you, but he would show you how to do it and expect you to try. They also enjoyed having conversations about sports, showing livestock, history, trivia or anything else he asked about in their lives. They also always knew not to get into Uncle Cory’s truck with dirty shoes, always keep the barn clean, and never move anything in the shop without putting it back in its place. However, everyone enjoyed messing with him a little bit by moving stuff around, just to see if he’d notice, just like his students in the classroom.

Cory and Cole entered into a partnership with each other when they bought the farm from Mom and Dad in 2017. Cory loved to tinker around on the farm when he’d come down on weekends and during the summers. He loved raising cattle, mowing and raking hay, fixing fence, and just being in the shop. As an avid sports fan, he also enjoyed fantasy sports, setting up several different leagues for his friends and family to join. His last fantasy football draft was just 4 days before his passing, in which he topped the league with an A rating, even as he was sleeping in between rounds.

Cory passed away peacefully on September 4, 2025, after a 2 ½ year brave battle with cancer. He was preceded in death by his father, Francis Willis.

Left to mourn him are: mother, Elaine Willis; siblings Craig (Brenda) Willis, Kim (Tony) Arnold and Cole (Casey) Willis; nieces and nephews: Hagan, Drew (Abbey Mason) & Birk Willis, Troy (Chandler) Arnold & Molly Arnold, and Keye, Kamryn & Kerigan Willis along with many co-workers, friends and students.

Memorials will be determined by the family at a later date.