Grant Alvin Corley was born October 10, 1943, at Carter Hospital in Garnett, Kansas, to Ned and Rovilla Hills Corley. He grew up on the family farm north of Westphalia and started school at Cherry Mound School. He was a member of Cherry Mound 4-H Club. He graduated from Westphalia High School in 1961.
Grant married Gayla Ballard in 1964. They had three children.
Grant always wanted to be a farmer. He bought his first tractor at age 12 and farmland when he was 16. He served in the Kansas National Guard from 1961 to 1965 and earned Expert Rifle and Carbine Badges for his shooting ability. Grant served on the Anderson County Fair Board, the Farm Bureau Board, the Soil Conservation Board, and the Anderson County Planning Commission. He served as the Farm & Garden Department superintendent at the Anderson County Fair for 58 years along with Gayla and their children, and neighbors, Norman and Helen Elliss. Grant and Gayla were the Anderson County Fair Parade marshals in 2008.
Grant operated Corley Seed Farms for many years doing custom seed cleaning and growing and was active in the Kansas Crop Improvement Association. He was known for his welding and fabrication skills, and he built many of his farm and seed equipment items himself. He always had time to give his grandkids a ride in the tractor or combine. In 2020, Grant and Gayla were honored as Kansas Master Farmers.
Grant was a private pilot and loved to fly his Piper Tri-Pacer in the 1970s to check crops and visit family.
He loved to hunt and spent many hours with friends and family hunting and processing deer. He also enjoyed traveling to Texas and Oklahoma for hunts with his son, Gaylon. He attended Cherry Mound Church, Westphalia, and St. John’s Lutheran Church, Aliceville.
Grant is survived by Gayla, his wife of 58 years; their children Gaylene (Lawrence) Comfort of Westphalia, Gaylette (Shawn) Conard of Wichita, and Gaylon (Heather) Corley of Westphalia; 15 grandchildren - Ian, Timothy (Olivia), Elizabeth (fiancé Jacob Gerber), and Molly Comfort; Lenna, Abigayl, Eli, Nate, Clara, and Wesley Conard; and Maya, Hannah, Levi, Hershyl, and Collin Corley; his sister Sharon (Lee) Slusher of Merriam and niece Anita (Dean) Williams; his brother Joe Corley of Westphalia; and exchange student/bonus son Yu Sung (Wendy) Chou and honorary grandchildren Emma and Emily Chou of Hangzhou, China. He was preceded in death by his parents Ned and Rovilla Corley.
Visitation will be on Friday, November 17 from 6-8 p.m. at First Christian Church in Garnett. The memorial service will be at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 18, also at First Christian Church.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Anderson County 4-H Council for a scholarship in Grant’s memory.
