Happy

89th Birthday

Bill Frese

William "Bill" Frese celebrated his 89th birthday on Jan. 22, 2021. "Pops," as he is affectionately known to his 16 grandchildren, is a detailed storyteller. Needless to say, his six kids, and his son-in-law, Brian, love hearing the incredible stories about his life.

At 89 years of age, Bill is an avid reader and stays up to date on world events. He works and exercises daily, sometimes with Campbell soup cans in hand, or he walks in circles for 20 minutes at a time around the pictures of his grandchildren, lined up for inspiration.

Bill loves to tell jokes, no matter how corny. And his

family loves to hear them! (Seriously, they do!) Bill is a Korean War veteran and served in the Air Force and Air Force reserves for 40 years. This meant that Bill wore his uniform for meetings on Monday nights for decades, a

vivid memory for his kids. Today, the uniform STILL FITS and serves as motivation in his current fight against

prostate cancer.

In his prime, Bill was an incredible rebounder for his many daughters who went on to play college basketball. He also shagged thousands of balls for his baseball-loving son, who later played college baseball. While he

appreciated the arts, Bill confessed to his wife that he

often allowed his basketball-playing daughters to skip

piano lessons, opting instead to take them to the gym.

Pops loves spending time in the summer by the family pool. Some of his favorite pastimes include watching his grandkids shout "cannonball," while hurling themselves off the diving board or seeing the little ones overcome the fear of going down the slide. He also loves Zoom

happy hours with his family, watching Maryland basketball games, a good episode of Blue Bloods when he can't sleep, and eating ribs.

Bill is married to the love of his life, Donna. Ever the

romantic, Bill purchased a new record for her every single month during their first year of marriage. Sixty-one years later, he still loves to buy Donna flowers and give her sweet cards, hold her hand in public, and make her laugh until she cries.

Bill's family invites you to celebrate his special day with a card shower. Cards may be mailed to:

636 Staub Ct. NE

Cedar Rapids, IA 52402