Bill Bower

Bill Bower was a kind and caring gentleman who treated everyone he met with the utmost degree of respect and honesty. He was a hard-working man who lived each day as if it were the best day of his life.

Bill was born to Nora Croghan and Newton Johnson on May 14, 1922. The 1920's were when Henry Ford began mass production and was able to sell a ford for $290.00. It was also the time of the Volstead Act and that made the sale of a drink with as little as one half ounces of alcohol unlawful. That Act brought about a lot of the spice of the era and it became known as the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties.

Bill grew up on the family farm in Mendon, Michigan with his brothers, Raymond, Floyd and Willis, and his sister, Helen. Growing up during the Great Depression, which hit America in 1929, Bill knew first hand about hard-work and going without. He saw his family and others reach out and help one another to make it through the hard times. He learned a lot through those difficult experiences and he never turned his cheek on another man in need. Bill stopped schooling after the eighth grade to go to work full time. He did what many other hard-working American children had to do and that was to sacrifice his education for the good of the family. After a hard day of work, one of Bill's favorite outlets was to relax and cool off by jumping in a nearby lake or stream. He loved to swim all throughout his life.

When Bill was in his early twenties, he met a beautiful young woman, Gertrude, at a dance in Leonidas, MI. She was attracted to his handsome dark hair and was engaged in watching his elegant dance moves across the dance floor. Bill was a great dancer and he loved dancing, especially to the big band music. He and Gertrude met that night at the dance and continued dating for a year and half before marrying on December 7, 1943 in Lawton, Oklahoma. Bill served in World War II which spanned from 1939 through 1945. He was stationed in the Philippines, as well as, in New Guinea. He was a patriotic man and was proud to have served to protect his country. After the war, he was dedicated to the VFW post 1527 in Kalamazoo and was a post commander for two years. He cherished his time with his fellow veterans and always looked for ways to reach out when they were in need. He often went to the VA hospital in Battle Creek to visit or take a group of war buddies out to go bowling. Although the war had been over for more than fifty years, Bill just received his medals in 2004. It was a very proud day for him.

Bill and Gertrude raised a wonderful woman, Penny. Bill was a good father and always supported her in the decisions she made. When Penny married Frank Hurd, Bill gained not only a son-in-law, but also a friend. Over the years they enjoyed each other's company and together they built three houses: two for Penny and Frank and one for him and Gertrude. With the addition of grandchildren and later great grandchildren, Bill would spend more time with Penny and Frank and was an avid supporter of all of their extra curricular activities.

The strong work ethic that was instilled in Bill as a youngster growing up on the farm remained with him throughout his life as he was an excellent provider for his family. He worked several jobs throughout the years. At one point, he owned his own service station in Vicksburg and later he worked for twenty-two years for Kalamazoo Manufacturing before retiring in 1988. Bill never really stopped working and later held a job as a driver for the Kalamazoo Auto Auction and enjoyed working at Cypress Gardens in Florida.

Bill and Gertrude both loved to travel. They enjoyed years of traveling together and were fortunate enough to have traveled extensively throughout the United States. A few of their favorite trips were to California to visit with relatives and to Cypress Gardens in Florida. They both fell in love with the beauty of Cypress Gardens with the lush green grass and feeling of serenity that the landscape brought. They looked forward to when the big bands would play at the gardens and they would enjoy reminiscing about their younger days. To them, it was like heaven on earth. Bill enjoyed swimming until his last days. He had wonderful memories of his youth when he took time to cool off in a nearby lake or stream from his hard days work. He learned to water-ski later in life and had a ball. Up until very recently, he was relaxing in the pool, floating on his back and enjoying the serenity of the water.

Bill Bower was a sweet, loving and caring gentleman who would do anything for anyone at anytime- with a joyful heart. He loved life and lived each day beautifully. Bill will be dearly missed and fondly remembered by the many that knew and loved him.

Bill Bower, age 83, of Comstock died on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 at Kairos Dwelling in Kalamazoo. Bill's family include his wife Gertrude, Daughter Penny and her husband Frank Hurd, a daughter Nancy, 2 grandchildren: Heather and her husband Jim Roberson, Frank Hurd: 2 great grandchildren: Austin and Dallas. One brother: Raymond and his wife Maryann of Three Rivers, one sister: Helen and her husband Jack of Arkansas, and a sister-in-law Maxine. He follows in death 2 brothers: Floyd and Willis. To Learn more about Bill, friends may visit with his family on Saturday from 6:00p.m.-8:00p.m. at the ™ - Rupert, Durham, Marshall & Gren Life Story Funeral Home in Vicksburg. Funeral services will be held at 1:00p.m.on Sunday in the Schoolcraft Cemetery. Please visit Bill's memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can share a memory, order flowers on-line or make a memorial contribution. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society or Karios Dwelling.