Cathy Ganfield

Visitation will be held at Ankeny Funeral Home, 1510 West First Street, Ankeny, IA 50023, US, on Sunday, March 22, 2026, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. There will be a time of sharing at 3:00 pm at the funeral home.

Cathy (Petersen) Ganfield was born February 12,1956 to Jan and Leroy Petersen. She was the oldest of six children. She was always the family organizer and wanted to take care of everyone. She played basketball, the trombone, and participated in 4H.

After graduating from Western Dubuque High School, she attended school in Ottumwa, Iowa where she received her Associates Degree in Medical Records. She grew that education into a long and successful career with Unity Point Healthcare, starting in medical records and becoming an HIM IT Analyst. Through her many years there, she worked with wonderful people, many of whom became close friends. Every time someone asked why she didn’t retire, her answer was she still liked what she did.

Cathy married David Ganfield in 1976. They were married 46 years before David passed away in 2022. They raised two children, Greg and Emily, and later welcomed Greg’s wife Madison as one of their own. One of Cathy’s greatest joys was being Grandma to Greg and Madison’s boys, Alex, Emmett, and Owen. Spending time with them, going on adventures, being there for anything and everything was EVERYTHING to her.

There were many joys. Cathy loved to connect and spend time with friends. She loved to take pictures but hated being in them. One of her favorite subjects were barns and farm buildings, even if she had to pull off or park in a sketchy manner to get the shot. She loved gardening; her yard was always beautiful. And she showed up and supported her friends and family in hundreds of ways, big and small.

Cathy Ganfield was an amazing woman. She cannot be fully described with these few words. She is loved and will be missed by her children, her grandchildren, her family, and her friends.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family and will be given to a charity of their choosing at a later date.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be left at www.ankenyfuneralhome.com for the Ganfield family.