Mother named me William E
Dad would call me Will
But all my friends and family
Called me just plain "Bill"
William
E “Bill” Bock was born March 27, 1930, in Brush, CO to Neil and Vera
(Mangus) Bock. He left this earthly life at his home December 18,
2020.
Bill traveled from
Brush, CO to Philomath, OR during the ‘30s with his parents and
siblings. The family returned in 1937 to the Lebanon area, where his
Uncle Jack Bock resided. He spent most of his adult life right around
the Stuart community south of Lebanon. He began school at the Oak Creek
schoolhouse, later graduating from Lebanon High School in 1948.
Following graduation, Bill helped his dad and worked for neighbors
before being drafted into the U S Marines in 1951. He was discharged in
1953.
In November 1953, he was united in
marriage to Sherry Dee Chidester in Downs, Ks. The plan had been to be
married at the Oak Creek Church south of Lebanon, but it snowed and the
preacher didn’t think he could make it to Oak Creek, so Bill said they
would all go to Downs.
Five children were born to this union: Richard Wayne (Dick), Robert Allan (Tad), Sandra Jeane, Laura Susan and Rhonda Lynne.
Following
his discharge from the Marines, Bill helped his aunt, Carol Bock with
the farming, following the death of his Uncle Jack, ….living in the
“little house”. In 1959, the family moved north to the rock house on
the old Porter Ranch, where they resided until 2014 after purchasing a
home at 1 Circle Drive in Downs.
Bill drove a
school bus, farmed and was a rural mail carrier. He retired from the
Postal Service in 1998 after 35 years as a postal employee. He
continued with his farming until moving to Downs in 2014.
Bill
was a friendly guy with a heart for helping friends and neighbors….and
he was blessed to live in a neighborhood that was all about being
neighborly.
He was
preceded in death by his parents, daughter Sandra Blankenbaker,
grandsons Andrew Bock and Joshua Simmelink, his mother and father-in-law
Edna & Arthur Chidester, sister and husband Eula & Wayne
Merrill Thompson, brother Lloyd “Bud” Bock and brother-in-law Willis
Rousey.
Left to miss his
presence in their lives are: wife Sherry of the home; sons Richard
(Linda) of Lebanon and Robert (Terri) of Ellsworth; daughters Laura
(Vernon) Ray of Salina and Rhonda (Roy) Atwood of Esbon; 11
grandchildren: Erica, Crystal, Jessica, Jason, Mary, Carissa, Jordan,
Evan, Michaela, Lane and Jeremy, 10 great grandchildren: Nicholas,
Whitley, Elijah, Jaxon, Miyah, Violet, Izayah, Levi, Ava and Eva, and 2
great great grandchildren: Jackson and Samuel; sisters: Ruth (Raymond)
Griffith of Phillipsburg and Donna (Forrest) Holliday of Havensville,
sisters in law: LaVerne Bock of Kremmling, CO and Marilyn Rousey of
Hutchinson, as well as nieces, nephews, cousins and a multitude of
friends.
A celebration of
Bill's life will be held at 2:30 p.m., Tuesday, December 29, 2020 at All
Faiths Funeral Chapel, 113 S. Madison St., Smith Center, KS, with
Pastor Lance McDowell officiating. There will not be a public
visitation as cremation was chosen. Memorials may be given to the First
Christian Church of Downs or Downs Food Bank and can be sent in care of
the funeral chape