Cleveland, William 'Bill' Carl

William “Bill” Carl Cleveland, 76, passed away Thursday, March 21, 2013, in Mesa, Ariz. Memorial Services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 30, at First United Methodist Church, 214 Jefferson St., Iowa City, with the Rev. Dr. Barry Tritle officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery. The family will greet friends after 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the church and at their home after 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First United Methodist Church, the Valle del Oro Choir in Mesa, Ariz., or Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, Ariz.

Bill was born Nov. 27, 1936, to Hubert L., and Mildred (Atchison) Cleveland in Eldora, Iowa, the oldest of two children. He graduated from Eldora High School in 1954. Bill attended Simpson College, where he met his future wife and was an active member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He graduated from Drake University, with a degree in finance in 1964.

Bill held various finance positions throughout his career, including at Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. and Triple F Feeds in Des Moines, Directory Service Co. in Algona and FGL hedging company and Trading Management, Inc, in West Des Moines. He completed his career at the University of Iowa, where he rose to director of Telecommunications. The highlight of his career was his testimony to the U.S. Congress on the breakup of AT&T in 1981.

Bill loved playing trombone in many jazz bands over the years, as well as singing in various choirs, most recently in Iowa City and Mesa, Ariz. He loved to golf, fish, and in the 1970s, after obtaining his private pilot's license, fly. His biggest passion though was listening to the music of Stan Kenton.

He is survived by his loving wife of 53 years, Sherrill Ann Cleveland; along with two children, David C. and Jill Cleveland of San Diego, Calif., and Dianna and Paul Riehn of Altamonte Springs, Fla.; four grandchildren, Claire Cleveland, Hope Cleveland, Katie Kutcher and Daniel Riehn; a sibling, Jerry and Virginia Cleveland of Linfield, Pa.; and many other loving nieces, nephews, and relatives.

Arrangements are with Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City, where online condolences may be sent to the family at www.lensingfuneral.com.

Published March 29, 2013 in The Gazette