Billy was a last minute surprise, born to Rex and Ralpha at St. Luke's hospital near Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, March 7, 1973. 



He joined Lisa, Lori, Kristen, and Rex, in Solon Iowa, near Coralville Lake. 



Bill looked as we all did, white haired, cute as a button. He was a big surprise, and he was truly BIG. He will get mad because he hates being called big in any way, shape or form!  But he was, I think, an 11lb. baby. Unfortunately, soon after a brief move to Kentucky for my dad's job with Ozark Airlines, my parents parted ways when he was barely 2. Bill was a smart boy, and definitely the baby of the family. Like all of us, had an appetite. He started school in Ottumwa, Iowa but we moved quite a bit, to Illinois briefly, but back to Iowa. 



He was a natural athlete, and played some baseball for Fremont and later in Midland, Michigan and then Hampton, New Hampshire in junior high. He was a huge football fan, and kind of changed his teams around to suit what was popular (my opinion only!) but we know he liked the Miami Dolphins and the Iowa Hawkeyes.  



He loved rock music from a very early age. He played the drums at home and got his first and only set when he was around 14 or 15, while living in Fremont. When he was initiated into the sleepy, rock Iowa kid life of Bud Light and ballgames, he rocked out to every 80's hairband around in his youth, and later of course, KISS, FIREHOUSE, etc.  He also liked the Outfield, 38 Special and not-so-secret love of the song "Come On Eileen" from the 80's.



We found recently several certificates for the Honor Roll at both Fremont and Eddyville schools. He didn't brag about things like that, and oftentimes, he just pitched his homework because he didn't feel like doing it and was bored.  He was always SUPER shy.  Really good-looking, blond and well built, he never had the weight problem he thought he had. He would look down at his feet, unless he was a few sheets and then he would start poking fun at you and mimick you or whoever else..he was great at mimicking people and would have you cracking up, no doubt.



Bill is famous for getting into things that you couldn't believe. He also was so accident prone. We are still shocked that Bill thankfully went Home in his sleep, because he's fallen off of Rex's roof in Kansas, cut his arms super deep, fell off of a high wall in Ottumwa, broke his arm as a kid and broke the other one just weeks later while at a rollerskating party! (Laugh, you know it's true)



Bill is a FOR REAL dude. He was supersensitive about his build, but so many men admired it. He was, at 33, at least 6'4 and around 300lbs.. but you can see how he didn't have this flabby chin or obese look to him. He was really Hulk Hogan, with a little more hair! I think he waited every Christmas for me to cut his hair, and my secret desire was to cut off that mullet that kept peeking through.. even though I know his wife just loved it. 



Bill was also a practicing pyromaniac, just like Rex. Usually again, when his friend Bud was present.  He had this laugh, this "hnyaa haa haa haa" type laugh that came out when he was happy, and you had to laugh when he did it. 



Bill was a pretty simple and opinionated guy. Whether it was regarding race, religion, or lifestyle. He told you and used the terms that make you cringe. But that's him. In the past few years, he was getting sentimental about our family, and pretty vocal about what he thought needed to be done, He has called all of us at one time or another, in a crisis, or other situation, and told us how much he loved us, etc.