William Norman Baltz's Obituary
William Norman "Bill" Baltz, 82, of Greeley, Colo., born Nov. 9, 1932, in Millstadt, Ill., passed away Thursday, June 18, 2015, at Hospice of Northern Colorado.Bill grew up in Millstadt, Ill.
He graduated from Belleville West High School and graduated in 1968 from Washington University in St. Louis, Mo., with a bachelor's of science.Bill married LaVerne Taake in Columbia, Ill., on Sept. 20, 1952.
They were married for 63 years.In his early years, Bill was a member of Zoar United Church of Christ in New Hanover, Ill. Since they moved to Greeley, Bill and LaVerne were members of St. John's United Church of Christ, where Bill served as the president as of January 1, 2014.Bill was a civil engineer, licensed in five states; working for Monsanto, McDowell and F. Ray Martin, all in St. Louis, Mo. He then went to work for IBP in 1971 in Dakota City, Neb., then at Superior Industries in Omaha, Neb. They moved to Greeley in 1988, where he worked at Monfort/ConAgra until his retirement. For the last 10 years he has worked as a consultant for Farmland Foods. He and LaVerne also ran a farming operation on his acreage in Illinois.Bill and LaVerne were members of the Greeley Country Club since 1989, where Bill, an avid golfer, was a member of the Men's Golf Association. He was also a member of Tascosa Country Club in Amarillo, Texas, the Sioux City Boat Club in Sioux City, Iowa and the Colorado Seniors Golfer Association.Bill loved sports; golf and baseball were his favorites. Bill enjoyed traveling and going to Colorado Rockies games. He also enjoyed going skiing in Keystone with his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Russell and Ida Mae, nee Mueller, Baltz; and a daughter, Christine Baltz.
Surviving are his wife, LaVerne Baltz of Greeley, Colo.; daughter, Susan Baltz of Amarillo, Texas; son, William "Nik" Baltz (Donna) of Magnolia, Texas; sister, Virginia Hoehn of Malden, Mo.; brother, Russell Baltz (Shirley) of Millstadt, Ill.; two grandchildren, Jennifer Bishop (Dustin) of Marshall, Ill., and Claudia Baltz of Amarillo, Texas; and two great-grandchildren, Briar William Bishop and Breck Ann Bishop both of Marshall, Ill.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. John's United Church of Christ or ALS Society.
Visitation: A viewing will be held the evening of Thursday, June 25, 2015, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Strauss-Leesman Funeral Home in Millstadt, Ill.
Funeral: A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 26, 2015, at Zoar United Church of Christ in New Hanover, Ill., with Rev. Matt Friz, officiating.
Interment will be at Mount Evergreen Cemetery in Millstadt, Ill.
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