Bill Eberstein

Bill Eberstein will be remembered by both family and friends as a hard workingman with a caring and gentle heart.

He was born on February 22, 1930, the son of Max and Marie (Stevens) Eberstein in Vicksburg in the family’s farmhouse. Like many farm children, Bill had numerous responsibilities and chores to help maintain the farm and when he was older, he would help with the neighbor’s farms. Much of the work was manual and the plowing was done not by the luxury of a tractor but by a team of horses. He attended Country School #7 on 34th street until the 8th grade before attending Vicksburg High School. In high school he lettered in football, basketball and baseball before graduating in 1948.

His sister Alice introduced him to a friend, Dorcas Rawson. Dorcas was initially attracted to Bill because he was fun to be with. After a short romance the couple eloped to Angola Indian and were married on January 3, 1953. After living in both Vicksburg and Kalamazoo for a short period, the young couple ended up purchasing a portion of the family farm and building their own house. It was here that Bill and Dorcas would raise their 5 children in a caring and loving household. Bill was proud of their house and was considered a homebody. He enjoyed spending time in his garden growing a variety of vegetables, splitting wood with his sons and son and law and finding something useful to do with the farm’s bumper crop of field stones.

Bill was a hard worker and enjoyed his job at Prab Conveyers before retiring in 1995 with more than 20 years of service. Many times during his working career he would be working two jobs and was constantly working overtime to bring home extra money to give his family things that he was deprived of while growing up in during the depression. When it came to finances, Bill was thrifty and every cent was accounted for.

Bill lost his hearing at while as an adult. It was a gradual process and 3 surgeries were unsuccessful to correct the problem. In spite of his hearing loss, he never let the handicap slow him down. He kept on working and striving to be the best father that he could be. He adored his grandchildren and enjoyed taking them on wagon rides and playing practical jokes on both family and friends. Many times his dogs would act as his ears as they nudge him or he would watch their reactions. The dogs received no special training, but were his faithful to Bill because of the kind and gentle way that he treated them.

Bill was kind and gentle to all of his animals. He spoiled the farm animas with extra food and scraps from the house and made sure that even the barn cats were cared for. He was a man that was very gentle to both people and animals and was sensitive and accepting to all of God’s creatures.

Bill died on Saturday, June 7, 2003 at Bronson Hospital. He follows in death a brother Roy in 1957 and a daughter Diane Richards in 1997.

His family includes his wife Dorcas, his daughter Marla and her husband Mike Wadsworth, 3 sons: Bill, Todd and his wife Sue and Larry and his wife Kim. His family also includes 3 brothers: Robert and his wife Barbara, James and his wife Donna, and Max and his wife Jill, 2 sisters: Beatrice Selbee and Alice VanderVeen, 9 grandchildren: Bradley Wadsworth, Jason Jousons, Jeff and Jason Gettys, Rachel Blood, and Bailee, David, Holly and Madylin Eberstein, 3 great grandchildren: Tyler, Hannah and Jason.

The family will greet friends on Tuesday from 6-8 pm at the Rupert, Durham, Marshall and Gren Funeral Home, Vicksburg Chapel and a Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1 pm on Wednesday at McKains Corners Cemetery. To read Bill’s life story, share a memory, make a donation to the Kalamazoo Humane Society or to Order flowers, please visit his personal memory page at www.lifestoryne