WEIGAND, William L. 1926-2001

WEIGAND, SNYDER, TRETTIN

Posted By: County Coordinator
Date: 5/13/2011 at 13:38:53

WILLIAM L. 'BILL' WEIGAND

#1:

ROCKFORD, IOWA - William L. "Bill" Weigand, 75, of 1125 215th St., died Sunday (Nov. 4, 2001) at his home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at Zion Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Patricia L. Shaw officiating. Public Masonic funeral rites will be conducted at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Fullerton Schumburg Funeral Home. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Rockford with full military honors conducted by the Walker-Graper American Legion Post.

Other arrangements are incomplete at Fullerton Family of Funeral Homes, 302 West Main, Rockford, (641) 756-3311.

Globe Gazette -- Nov. 5, 2001

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#2:

WILLIAM L. 'BILL' WEIGAND

ROCKFORD, IOWA - William L. "Bill" Weigand, 75 of 1125 215thSt., Rockford, died Sunday morning (Nov. 4, 2001) with his family at his bedside.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, 805 E. Main Ave. in Rockford, with the Rev. Patricia L. Shaw officiating. Interment will be at Riverside Cemetery, Rockford with the Walker-Graper American Legion Post #338 conducting military rites.

Visitation will begin after 2 p.m. today at Fullerton Funeral Home, 302 West Main Ave., with the family greeting friends from 4 to 8 p.m., with Masonic Funeral Rites conducted at 7 p.m. Further visitation will continue one hour prior to services at the church.

Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to the William Weigand Memorial Fund to be used for Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Hospice of North Iowa and other area charities.

William was born May 28, 1926, the son of Clarence A. and Vera B. (Snyder) Weigand at Rockford. He was baptized and confirmed at Rockford Methodist Church. During his schooling he was active in football, basketball, band, vocal and quartet music and singing with the church choir.

He graduated from Rockford High School and within a month he joined the Army on July 27, 1944. He honorably served his country and was stationed in Germany where he served with the 104th AGF Band.

A favorite moment for Bill was passing in revue before Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and other dignitaries. He later was a supply sergeant. He was discharged on June 26, 1949, at Fort Sheridan, in Chicago.

Following his service to his country he worked at various jobs including at the First State Bank, as an assistant butter maker, at the Oliver Tractor plant and driving a school bus.

On July 10, 1949, he was united in marriage to Marie C. Trettin at Zion Lutheran Church, in Rockford. To this union were born four children. For the next six years they owned and operated the Weigand's Ice Cream and Lunch in Rockford.

The family moved in 1957 to Rancho Cordova, Calif. where they resided for the next 16 years. He worked with Aerospace General welding engines for the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft and Minuteman Missiles. Bill and one other man were the only two qualified welders to work on the Apollo rockets and Bill felt a great amount of pride and relief to be a part of putting men on the moon.

He received a citation of excellence from then President Johnson for zero defects welding on the space missions. Bill served his work union as a national delegate. Bill's faith nudged him to spend countless hours being a charter member and board member of Grace Lutheran Church and helping build it from a church of few to a church of many.

He embraced his faith in a quiet manor. Bill and Marie's home was a gathering place for the neighborhood kids and friends. He always took time with his little friends, helping them with their problems. He always made sure he shared private time with each of his own children and their activities including coaching swimming and little league and being a Boy Scout leader.

In February of 1973 with hard times falling on the space program, they returned to Rockford where Bill started a fire extinguisher sales, service and repair business. He also drove a Charles City Farm Service Co-op truck. Later Bill served as manager of Rockford Golf and Country Club for 10 years.

Bill was a member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Rockford where he served as church president and board member. He is a Past Master and over 50-year member of Rock-Sirius Lodge, A.F. & A.M. #294, Past Commander of the American Legion. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, and golf with his family.

Those thankful in sharing Bill's life include his wife of 52 years, Marie, of Rockford; his one daughter, Jan M. Weigand, of Pembroke Pines, Fla.; three sons C.W. "Dub" and his wife, Kathy Weigand, of El Dorado, Calif., Tom and his wife, Beth Ann Weigand, of Decatur, Ill., and Joel R. Weigand, of Elkhart, Iowa; two granddaughters, Jennifer Guarna-Weigand, and Annalisa Weigand; one sister, Sally and her husband, Myron Stadtlander, of Rockford; and one half sister, Bernadine Johnson-Finch, of Orville, Calif.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; and one sister, Charlotte Johnson.

Fullerton Family of Funeral Homes, (641) 756-3311.

Globe Gazette -- Nov. 6, 2001