ROUSE, William Thomas 1941-2004

ROUSE, ELLIOTT

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 2/15/2009 at 20:09:07

CHARLES CITY, IOWA — William “Willie” Rouse, 62, of Cable, Wis., and formerly of Charles City, died Wednesday (Jan. 28, 2004) at his home of natural causes.

A funeral Mass for Willie Rouse will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Church with the Rev. Carl Ries celebrating the Mass. Burial will be at a later date. There will be a flag presentation by the Charles City Ceremonial Unit.

Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. today at the Hauser Funeral Home, 1205 S. Main St. in Charles City, with a rosary at 4:30 p.m. and a Vigil Scriptural Wake Service at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue an hour prior to the Mass Saturday at the church.

William Thomas Rouse was born Dec. 10, 1941, at Elma, the son of Leo and Maxine (Elliott) Rouse. He graduated from Colwell Consolidated High School in 1959.

Willie served in the United States Air Force from 1959 to 1964, received a hardship discharge and returned to Charles City to help raise his younger siblings, working for many years at Oliver/White Farm Equipment Co. In 1981, he moved to Cable, Wis., to “fulfill his dreams” and re-mained there until his death.

Willie was a true outdoorsman and lived off the land. He served as a guide for fishermen and hunters, produced maple syrup and grew mushrooms. His interests included visiting with people, teaching children the basics of outdoor living and playing cards. Willie will be remembered for his ability to make the best out of any situation. He was a member of St. Ann’s Catholic Church.

Living family members include his mother, Maxine Rouse of Elma; four brothers, Elliott “Duff” (Patsy) Rouse of Charles City, Eugene “Nick” (Kathy) Rouse of Denver, Colo., and Tom (Gail) Rouse, and Dennis (Kim) Rouse, both of Charles City; four sisters, JoAnn Chambers, Suzanne (Jerry) Hartwell, Linda (Bill) Mitchell and Lora (Monte) Millard, all of Charles City, and many nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews.

His father preceded him in death on Dec. 26, 1963.

Hauser Funeral Home, (641) 228-2323.

[Mason City Globe Gazette]