Beshears, William 'Bill' Henry

William “Bill” Henry Beshears, 61, of 1125 S. 26th St., Marion, went home to be with the Lord on Saturday, August 15, 2009, due to liver cancer. Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. today at Stewart Baxter Funeral & Memorial Services, 1844 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids. Funeral Services: 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at Grace Baptist Church, 1461 East Post Road, Marion. Pastor Darran Whiting of Calvary Baptist Church of Marion will officiate. Burial: Oak Hill Cemetery, Cedar Rapids with military honors by Marion American Legion Post #298.

Survivors include his wife, Marlene Chevalier-Beshears; a son, William (Michelle) Beshears II; a daughter, Dawn (Jeromy) Johnson of Marion; two sisters, Ethel Giles-Thomas of St. Paul, Minn., and Suzy Beshears of Cedar Rapids; a brother, Wesley Beshears of Madison, Wis.; eight grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

His special little family are the cats, Spot, Lucky, and Whiskers; and dog, Tuffy.

Bill was preceded in death by his father, William Hutchinson Beshears, and his mother, Kathleen Viola Beshears.

Bill was born June 28, 1948, in Cedar Rapids. He carried a paper route, stoked furnaces, and worked at the Legion Bowling Alley, where he was an avid bowler participating in many leagues and tournaments throughout his life. He graduated from Washington High School in 1966, becoming employed at Wilson/Farmstead Meat Packing Plant.

He served in the U.S. Army from 1967-1970 as a medic in Vietnam. Bill then returned to the Wilson/Farmstead plant and also ran a detasseling crew. He took an early retirement in 1989 to attend Kirkwood Community College in the wastewater treatment program. After graduating, he worked in Kansas City, and then returned to Iowa working at PMX, the City of North Liberty, and then the City of Cedar Rapids, retiring in 2003.

Throughout Bill's life he loved the outdoors, but the love of his life was fishing and spending many summers around the Midwest and Canada. He loved football and baseball, coaching Little League and Babe Ruth as a volunteer for many years. He also played softball.

Bill had an infectious laugh and smile that gave joy to all. He loved to talk and meet new people. He accumulated many friends and everyone loved him. His alias name was “Bay” and many friends called him that thanks to his sister, Suzy. He will be missed by family and many friends.

A special thank you to all the hospice staff and friends for their support and love.

Please sign the online guest book and share a memory about Bill at .