William Houseal

WILLIAM HOUSEAL

Iowa City

William Houseal, 90, of St. Joseph, Mich., formerly of Iowa City, passed away peacefully on March 18, 2016, with his family surrounding him.

Visitation will be Monday, March 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Starks & Menchinger Chapel and Cremation Services, 2650 Niles Rd., St. Joseph, with the rosary recited at 7 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 22, at St. Joseph Catholic Church, 220 Church St., St. Joseph, with military rites provided by North Berrien Military Rites Team. Burial will take place the following day on Wednesday, March 23, at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Battle Creek, Mich.

Memorials may be made to St. Joseph Catholic Church, YMCA, North Lincoln Senior Center or Birthright.

Those wishing to sign Bill's memory book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com.

Bill was born to Isador and Anna (Quinn) Houseal on April 20, 1925, in a farmhouse in Washington County, Iowa. Immediately after graduation from high school he was drafted into the Army in World War II. He served as an artillery forward observer fighting in France and Germany in the Vosges Mountains and Saarland campaigns. Near the end of the war he was appointed commandant of a POW camp, Stalag 13, at Neider-Roden, Germany. He was recommended for a Battlefield Commission for combat actions. After the war he received a direct commission in the Army Reserve. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. Recently he was formally inducted into the Honorary Order of St. Barbara, a military society recognizing soldiers and Marines who made significant contributions to the Field Artillery.

He earned an engineering degree from Iowa State University, a law degree from the University of Iowa and an L.L.M. degree from George Washington University. He was employed as a patent attorney for Amana Corp. in Amana, Iowa, before moving in 1957 to St. Joseph, where he was employed at Whirlpool Corp.

Bill and Helen built their home in St. Joseph, where they raised their nine children, hosted several foreign exchange students and took in two Polish refugee families, helping them to get established in the United States.

After his retirement from Whirlpool, he worked of counsel to the Kinney Cook and Lindenfield law firm. Bill was actively involved in church, school and civic activities, the last of which was the Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP), which he referred to as "the riot squad." Bill was a lifetime member of the Y and in his later years, he enjoyed playing bridge with his friends at the Senior Center. Bill loved working at his blueberry farm, which is still the gathering place for all of his family.

Bill was preceded in death by his siblings: brothers, Samuel and Robert, and sisters, Grace (Grant) and Ruth (Lloyd); and his eldest son, Matthew.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Helen, of 62 years, whom he cherished; his children, Timothy (Leslie), Stephen (Julie), Anne (Paul), Joseph, Elizabeth, David, John (Gail) and Maria; his daughter-in-law, Luzma; 36 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; and sisters-in-law, Lena and Maxine.

Bill loved God, his family and his country.