William F. McCauley, 70, of Cedar Rapids, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and friends on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at the Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, Hiawatha following an 11-year battle with cancer.  Visitation will be held from 4 to 8 P.M. Thursday at Papich-Kuba Funeral Home East, 1228 2 ^nd Street S.E., Cedar Rapids.  Burial will take place at the Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinois at a future date.  Due to COVID-19 considerations, those attending the visitation are respectfully requested to wear masks and practice social distancing.

William is survived by children, Benjamin (Sunny McVey) McCauley, Matthew McCauley and Dalton McCauley, all of Cedar Rapids and Michael Mendoza of Springville; eight grandchildren, Cody, Katelin, Trevor, Trey, Makinze, Jacob, Madasyn and Jadon; four great-grandchildren; sisters, Norma (William) Sharp and Sandy (Paul) Kuhl, both of Cedar Rapids and many nieces, nephews and their families.  He is also survived by Danny Bob, Roger, Dakota and many special friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William McCauley and Alberta (Fritz) McCauley Traw and his stepfather, Clyde Traw; an infant son, William Franklin McCauley Jr; grandson, Kyler Jesse Bina; and brothers, Ralph Swallom and Allen See and sister, Joyce Gambler.

William was born July 16, 1950 in Cedar Rapids and was a lifelong resident.  He owned and operated Family Roofing Company.

He was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War serving in the 25 ^th Infantry.  William received the following medals and commendations: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with Silver Service Stars, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, Army Commendation Medal with V Device, Bronze Star Medal with V Device, Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster and Expert (Rifle).

William enjoyed watching old Westerns on television, visiting the casinos and playing horseshoes.  He loved attending his children's and grandchildren's school and sporting activities.  As one of his sons said, "He was the best Dad in the world."

His family would like to give a special thanks to everyone from Hospice of Mercy who cared for William both at his home and while he was at the Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy.

In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established and donations may be directed to the family.