William Garland "Bill" Irwin 1913 - 1998

IRWIN, SWIM, BOREN, HINKEL

Posted By: Connie J Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 9/6/2014 at 22:45:06

23 December 1998

William Garland "Bill" Irwin, 85, Onawa, Iowa, died December 7, 1998, at Burgess Memorial Hospital in Onawa.

Bill was born March 26, 1913, on a ranch near Basin, Wyoming, the son of Oliver and Olive (Swim) Irwin. In 1932 he graduate from Basin High School and in 1933, he graduated from Barnes Business College in Denver, Colorado. He was employed in 1934 as a bookkeeper by the Jerpe Chicken Company in Omaha, Nebraska, and subsequently worked in several Nebraska communities before transferring to the Onawa facility in 1937. On August 29, 1936, he married Evelyn "Jo" Boren at McCool Junction, Nebraska.

He was the Onawa City Clerk between 1941 and 1942 when he entered the U.S. Army for service during World War II. In 1946 he was employed by the Onawa State Bank and served in various positions until his retirement in 1978 as Senior Vice President. Mrs. Irwin died November 8, 1960, in Onawa.

Bill loved Onawa, and for decades was vitally interested in its development, serving on numerous community committees. His main concern was to provide the best possible school facilities and instruction for the area's youth.

He served on the Onawa School Board and later the West Monona School Board for thirty-two years between 1946 and 1978. He was a leader in the formation of the West Monona School District, and the campaign to construct Lark School and the new high school building During the great Missouri River flood of 1952. he became one of the managers to evacuate Onawa and surrounding farms.

On December 16, 1965, he married Jeanne Hinkel in Onawa.

Bill was a sixty year member of the Vesper Lodge, #223 AF & AM. He had the distinction of serving as Worshipful Mastertwice in a fiftyyear span, 1942 and 1992. He was also President of the Onawa Country Club, and a long time member of the Sioux City Consistory and of the Lions Club, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Sioux City Consistory and the Abu Bekr Shrine Temple of Sioux City, and Queen Esther Chapter Order of Eastern Star #222 and David McNeill American Legion Post #129, both in Onawa.

Bill was both an avid fisherman and farmer. He was the last survivor of a group of Onawa men who jointly purchased an island in the Lake of the Woods near Minaki, Ontario, in the early 1950's where he and many Onawa friends made annual fishing trips. His last visit there was in September.

He is survived by his wife of thirty-three years, Jeanne Hinkel Irwin; six children, Oliver Irwin of Montreal, Canada, Nancy and her husband, Richard Goodwin of Houston, Texas, John Irwin of Phoenix, Arizona, Wendy Shol of Seattle, Washington, Vicki Shol of Omaha, Nebraska, and Sally Kirkeby of Omaha, Nebraska; six grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his first wife, Evelyn Jo (Boren) Irwin; and three brothers, Lester, Raymond, and Donald.

Masonic Services were held at 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 9, 1998, at the Pearson Funeral Home in Onawa by Vesper Lodge #223 A.F. & A.M., Onawa, Donald Keck, Orator, and Carl Johnson, Worshipful Master.

Funeral services were held at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, December 10th, at the First Christian Church in Onawa with Pastor Donald R. Ludwick officiating. The organist, Mrs. Mark Mussack, accompanied the vocalist, Mrs. Jamie Sorensen, in the selection "The Lord's Prayer". The congregational hymn was "In The Garden".

Casket Bearers were Bo Fox, Terry Virtue, Mike Lucht, Bill Young, Gale Johnson, Bernard Farber and Greg Reimer.

Interment was in the Onawa Cemetery with arrangements by the Pearson Funeral Home, Onawa, Iowa.