William C. Fastenow was born Aug. 14, 1893 to William C. and Louise Kracht Fastenow. He died Dec. 7, 1972 and is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Creston, IA.
Obituary: Daily Freeman Journal, Webster City, IA - Dec. 8, 1972
William C. Fastenow, 79, former Webster City druggist and prominent local businessman here for 30 years before his retirement, died yesterday afternoon at 2 o’clock at the Creston, Iowa, hospital. He had been a patient there only since Wednesday evening.
Funeral services will be held at the Coens Funeral home in Creston at 2 p.m. Sunday with burial to be made at Graceland cemetery in Creston.
He was born Aug. 14, 1893 at Peterson, Iowa, the son of Mr. and Mrs. William C. and Louise Kracht Fastenow. He was graduated from Peterson, high school and later attended Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, Ind., where he received his degree as a pharmacist.
He was married to Emma Hasse Sept. 23, 1924, at Cleveland, Ohio.
Mr. Fastenow started in business in Webster City in 1919, operating the Fastenow Drug Co. here until 1949 when he retired. The family moved in 1956 to Washington, later returning to Iowa five years ago, and they had resided at Creston since that time.
Survivors include his wife; one son, William C. Fastenow of Creston; two daughters, Mrs. Kathleen Casey of Seattle, Wash., and Mrs. Betty L. Bergen of Dallas, Texas; five grandchildren and one brother, John Fastenow of Cherokee, Iowa.
He was very active in the Elks lodge, the American Legion and the Masonic Lodge, being a 50-year member of all three organizations. He was a past commander of the American Legion, and was a past president of the Iowa Pharmaceutical association and served as captain of Co. F, Iowa State Guard unit for four years during World War II.
The family is establishing a memorial to the Shriner Children’s hospital.
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Amblin’ by Maxi
The sudden passing yesterday at Creston, Iowa, of William C. (Bill) Fastenow, former longtime druggist here in Webster City, brings back many enjoyable experiences of former years, centering around Bill, who was an out-going, cheerful giant of a man.
He always seemed much bigger than he was, because we can remember way back as a youngster, watching in awe as big Bill, topped with a huge white shako (it must have added another three feet to his height, high-stepped down Main St. in front of the Legion Drum and Bugle Corps, during the Memorial Day parades.
. . . Our closest association with Bill came during our membership in Co. F, Iowa State Guard unit, during World War II. Bill took over as captain of the unit shortly after it was organized and served in that capacity nearly four years, as we really, before he was succeeded by the late John Dodge, his first lieutenant. Bill moved up to be a major.
Capt. Fastenow was a fine commanding officer and he handled a difficult job in good fashion, made much more difficult because the guards, who had joined the state unit for valuable basic training, were continually leaving to go into regular service in the Army, Navy, Marine, Coast Guard, etc. Bill seldom had the same Guard membership from week to week, but he kept the unit in good shape, and we all had a good time at weekly drills and at Guard camp.
We’ll always remember Bill as a giant of a man, with a heart almost as big as his stature.
Source: ancestry.com
