Obituaries : William G. "Bill" Beyer

William G. "Bill" Beyer, 86, of Epworth, Iowa formerly of Farley, Iowa, passed away on Thursday, July 14, 2022, at Ennoble Manor in Dubuque, Iowa.

Visitation for Bill will be held after 11 a.m. on Monday at Epworth United Methodist Church in Epworth.

Services for Bill will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, July 18, 2022, at the Epworth United Methodist Church with Pastor Stephanie Schlimm and Pastor Mike Jones presiding. Burial will be in Highview Cemetery in Epworth, Iowa.

Bill was born on July 19, 1935, in Epworth, Iowa, son of William J. and Clarice (Denlinger) Beyer. He graduated from Epworth High School in 1953. Bill met the love of his life Marilyn Pins at the Epworth Firemen's Dance they were later united in marriage on September 12, 1956, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Farley, Iowa. Bill was first and foremost a family man. With the loss of his mother early in childhood, Bill put family first. Together they went on to have seven children. After having 5 time-consuming boys, they were finally blessed with identical twin daughters. The couple loved to attend dances, music concerts, and traveling, especially, to Branson, MO, Germany, and Ireland.

Bill worked at Dubuque Packing Co. for over 29 years and retired in 1981. He also farmed on his family farm in the rural Epworth area from 1970 to 1984. Later in 1984 Bill went to work for the Western Dubuque School District as a Bus Driver until his retirement in 2007.

Bill was a very active member of his community. He was a member of the Epworth United Methodist Church in Epworth, for which he has been a trustee for many years. He was also a member of the Farley Fire Department from 1957 to 1970, where he served as the department secretary/treasurer for five years. Bill coached little league in Farley from 1964 to 1969 and served on the recreation committee of Farley for several years. He also played softball and baseball for many years with clubs from Epworth, Farley, and Dyersville. Bill was a very active member of the Western Dubuque Booster Club for many years and served two terms as President. He was elected to the WD School Board for two terms (6 years) and served as President for 1 year. Bill served on the Rural Board of Directors for the Epworth Fire Department for 36 years. He also served as President of the Historical Society. He was honored as a Grand Marshal of the Epworth Town and Country Days.

He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He enjoyed going to his children and grandchildren's sporting events. He was an avid fan of the Western Dubuque Bobcats and the Iowa Hawkeyes. One of Bill's hobbies other than being a very active member of the community was woodworking and he became very skilled in making wooden clocks, a lot of homes have one of his clocks to treasure. He also made many pieces of furniture for his home and for his children's homes. Bill later restored his dad's original SC Case Tractor. His Red Convertible was seen in numerous community and Homecoming parades.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marilyn Beyer of Epworth, four sons, Gary (Bonnie) Beyer of Vinton, Ken (Dawn) Beyer of Epworth, Bill (Janann) Beyer of Conrad, and Tom (Chrissy) Beyer of Arlington Heights, IL; two daughters, Kris (Chad) Jensen of Grundy Center, and Kim (Eric) Olson of New Hampton; daughter-in-law, Mary Kris Beyer, of Peosta; 16 grandchildren, Ryan (Kelly) Beyer, Mitchell Beyer, Jillian (Zach) Hauser, Kyle (Andy) Beyer, Luke Beyer, William (Joyce) Beyer, Shelby Beyer, Shaun Beyer, Helen Beyer, Chloe Hensler, Braden, Brannen and Dayne Jensen, Kallie, Kacey and Lydia Olson; six great grandchildren; Koy, Kade, Laynee, Grayson, Brady, and Layla; one sister, Maurene House of Garner and her children Dean House and Carrie Omans; brother and sister-in-law, Aileen Pins of Dubuque, and Fred Goedken of Petersburg.

He is preceded in death by his parents; his stepmother, Gladys (Sroka) Beyer; beloved son, Marty Beyer on September 9, 2020; father and mother -in-law, William and Sylvia Pins; brothers and sisters-in-law, Charles House, Elaine Goedken Clarence (Catherine) Pins, Lavern (Marcille) Pins, Donna (Lloyd) Goerdt; and one niece in infancy, Laura Lynn House.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family. Memorials will be designated at a later date.