Dr. William "Bill" DeLoss Speer Jr. (1935-2018)
SPEER, KNOX, TURNER, RAMUNDT, HENNESSEY
Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 5/17/2021 at 16:53:14
Obituary From Adams Soderstrum Funeral Home, Story County, Iowa.
Dr. William (Bill) DeLoss Speer Jr., 83, of Ames, died Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018, at Green Hills Health Care Center of a bacterial infection. His body was cremated. A memorial service will be held Monday, Sept. 24, at 11 a.m., at First United Methodist Church in Ames. The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 23, at Green Hills Retirement Community.
Bill was born April 30, 1935, in Earlham, Iowa, to William DeLoss Speer Sr. and Audrey Maureen (Knox) Speer. Two years later, his lone sibling, a brother, Bob, was born. Bill spent his growing up years in Spencer, Iowa, busy with school sports, delivering the Des Moines Register, and working on area farms in the summers. He graduated from Spencer High School in 1953 and enrolled at Iowa State University, determined to become a veterinarian after observing a local vet perform a Cesarean section on a sow. At Iowa State, he joined Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was active in campus activities, which culminated in his induction into the school’s highest honorary, Cardinal Key. When he graduated from vet school in 1959, he was given the outstanding senior award.
On June 23, 1957, Bill married Norma Lee Turner, in Marshalltown, Iowa, after meeting her a few years prior on a double date. Norma, freshly graduated from Iowa State, taught at Central Junior High in Ames while Bill completed his vet med degree. Two weeks after his ISU graduation, they moved to DeWitt, Iowa, to join the DeWitt Veterinary Clinic, where Bill practiced with devotion for 40 years. “Doc” was vitally concerned for those he served: the producers, the producers’ livestock enterprises, the pet owners, and the pets.
Bill was deeply involved in the DeWitt community, holding leadership positions on the chamber of commerce board, an affordable senior housing initiative, and a successful school bond referendum. At the DeWitt United Methodist Church, he was a youth leader with Norma, held multiple committee positions, and sang in the choir for more than 45 years. He also served on the foster care review board and board of health for Clinton County. Additionally, he was a member of the Iowa State University Alumni Association, Order of the Knoll, and several professional organizations.
After more than 50 years in DeWitt, Bill and Norma returned to Ames to live, eventually settling in the Green Hills Retirement Community.
Bill, a gentleman and an avid learner, was never more content than when he was reading in his favorite wing chair. And while his job was a physical one, he was active in his spare time also. He enjoyed biking (he rode on several early RAGBRAIs—one with Matt and two with Amy), tennis (which he played until slowed by dementia a few years ago), snow skiing, ice skating, swimming, and hiking, all of which he did with grace and ease.
At the heart of it all, Bill was a family man. He and Norma had three children and eight grandchildren, all of whom will miss him deeply: Jennifer (Randy) Ramundt of Des Moines, parents of William and Sarah; Matthew (Darsi Foss) Speer of Madison, Wisconsin, parents of Kelsey (Scott Petesch), Mackenzie, and Madison; and Amy (Bill) Hennessey of St. Paul, Minnesota, parents of Shane, Patrick, and Claire. He also is survived by his brother, Robert Dean (Barb) Speer of Cheyenne, Wyoming; nieces and nephews; and many dear friends.
Instead of flowers, please honor Bill in the form of a donation to one of these organizations: Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine, First United Methodist Church of Ames, Green Hills Retirement Community in Ames, or the Frances Banta Waggoner Community Library in DeWitt.
Memorial Service
Monday 24 Sep
11:00 AM - 11:45 AM
First United Methodist Church
516 Kellogg Avenue
Ames, IA 50010
http://www.adamssoderstrum.com/
Story Obituaries maintained by Mark Christian.
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