James E. Lalley

Col. James E. Lalley, Ret., 97, passed away on Monday, January 26, 2026, at a local hospital in Sioux City.

Funeral service will be held on Monday, February 2, 2026, at 10:30 AM at Holy Spirit Retirement Home Chapel (1701 W 25th St). Visitation will be held at 9:00 AM with the Rosary taking place at 10:00 AM. His final resting place will be Calvary Cemetery.

James was born on October 14, 1928, in Sioux City, Iowa, to Edward J. and Lillian R. Lalley. He was educated at Cathedral and Blessed Sacrament schools, and Trinity High School. He graduated from Loras College in Dubuque. He married his wife Kipp in Waterloo, Iowa on May 1, 1954. Three children came from this marriage, Stephen of Everett, Washington, Michael (Lynda) of Cedarburg, Wisconsin, and Marijo of Scottsdale, Arizona.

James enlisted in the US Army at age seventeen and served in the Philippines with the 86th Division and in Korea with the 7th Division. He received a direct commission into the Iowa Army National Guard and was activated with his battalion in 1968 as the Operations Officer. He served with the 1st Infantry Division in Vietnam. After retirement as the Iowa Army National Guard Inspector General, James was recalled to active duty for service during Desert Shield/Desert Storm and was assigned to 4th Army Headquarters. During his army career, he attended some 12 army schools and was an Honor Graduate of Command and General Staff College. His decorations include: The Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, two Army commendation Medals, and the Combat Infantry Badge.

James was a co-football coach at Blessed Sacrament School for 12 years. In that period, his teams only lost one game. He was an avid reader of military history and donated some 3,000+ books to the Iowa National Guard Museum and Library. Another lot of books were donated to Briar Cliff University. He was a builder of military models, completing over 100. Oddly, the United States Naval Academy asked him to represent them, and he was a Blue and Gold Officer for 10 years, winning awards from the Academy.

James was the Director of Customer Service with the Sioux City Post Office Management Center, responsible for sales, delivery, and vehicles in 262 other Post Offices. He was also a member of the Central Region’s Delivery Inspection Team, visiting offices throughout the Midwest, including Ohio and Kentucky.

He was an avid Notre Dame and Heelan High School athletics fan and attended many of the contests. He was secretary/treasurer of the Siouxland Notre Dame Club for many years.

James is survived by his children; two grandchildren, Mitchell Lalley (Kelsey) of Franklin, Wisconsin, and Amanda “The Panda” (Alex) Kyne of Farmington, Missouri; three great grandchildren, Aubrey, Teagan and Amelia; six grand dogs, Millie, Brigadier, Abby, Maggie, Remy and Elli; and two grand kitties, KC and Kipper.

He is preceded in death by his parents; wife, Kipp; sisters, Patricia and Elizabeth; and brother, Thomas.

Donations in James’s memory can be made to Blessed Sacrament Grade School, Heelan High School, or the Carmelite Nuns.