William McCracken, 49, of David City, died Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at his home in David City.
Funeral Service Saturday, August 22, 2026, 10:30 A.M.
Kracl Funeral Chapel, David City
Visitation Friday 4-6 P.M. and Saturday at 9:30 A.M.
Committal in the David City Cemetery
Lunch following at Kracl Funeral Chapel
William, the only child of Mike and Pat (Greenwood) McCracken on September 1, 1976.
Bill lived as a normal, growing boy with friends and pets. He went to school in David City. At the age of 16 he learned he was suffering from his first brain tumor. That tumor was deemed inoperable by the local surgeons, but he went on to survive a 12-hour surgery at the age of 17 performed at the John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, remaining awake during the whole surgery. Throughout his life he was in seven different hospitals from Mexico to the east coast seeking treatment for the brain tumors and cancer that he endured during his life. Seeking quality care was always a priority, no cost spared.
When he returned to Nebraska from John Hopkins, doctors here wanted to do chemo treatment along with radiation. The radiation therapy was carried out too far and resulted in permanent brain damage. This caused him to lose his sense of smell and the ability to handle math problems, along with many other things. These challenges didn't hold him down. He went on to learn to drive, owning his own car so he could get to work. He worked at the Henningsen Foods Plant for fourteen years in the Sanitation Department after graduation. Before that, he always had a job of some kind to earn his own pocket money, delivering papers around town and, also, for a short time working at a chicken farm nearby.
Bill was brought up as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. He worked hard and was able to give his first Bible talk from the stage at the Kingdom Hall in Schuyler at a young age and several after that. He continued attending meetings with his family in Schuyler until the merge with the Columbus congregation in 2020. At that time, due to family health issues, they listened to meetings via phone or later by Zoom.
One of the high points in Bill's life was being the recipient of a computer from Make a Wish during the time of his first brain tumor. That was at a time when personal computers were new and not common. He felt very special having his own.
One way Bill showed his appreciation for the help received was by being a participant in as many local Relay for Life events that he was able to walk in, from the time of his cancer diagnosis and recovery to recent years.
Bill and his family enjoyed going to the Husker games in person when they were able to, also they went to many in person concerts throughout the years. Another favorite family trip was going to the State Fair, both in Lincoln and Grand Island, and many local county fairs too. The top treat of those excursions for Bill was the fair food, particularly corn dogs and cotton candy.
Bill loved to draw! He enjoyed drawing so much that he took classes at Platte Community College to improve his skills. He produced many works of art that were entered at the Butler County Fair. Proof of his talent are the many ribbons on the walls of his apartment along with his pictures. Bill had other hobbies, one of them was playing the guitar. He MIGHT not have had the most talent in that department, but he did have a lot of fun trying! He also walked, a lot! He loved to walk daily in and around the park. He enjoyed doing that even though his walks became shorter in recent months, before the reason why was known. His last walk to the park was taken in June of this year 2026.
William was preceded in death by his father, Michael McCraken and is survived by his mother, Patricia McCracken and many relatives and friends.
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