Bill was born to William and Marie (Rink) Degelman on July 15, 1935, in Allegheny County, PA. On December 1, 1973, Bill married Betty I. Davis in Peoria, IL. She survives.
Bill is also survived by four children, Wendy Degelman of Fort Collins, CO, Marta Degelman of Brimfield, Jason (Samantha) Degelman of Woodinville, WA, and Scott Degelman of Colorado Springs, CO; and one son-in-law, Dave Wasson of Divide, CO. Other survivors include twelve grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; two brothers, Larry (Carole) Degelman of Texas, and Wayne (Joyce) Degelman of Pennsylvania; and one sister, Linda (James) Ferguson of Texas.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents; two sons, Gary Degelman and David Degelman; and one daughter, Dana Wasson.
Bill graduated from Uniontown High School in Pennsylvania and Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia. He practiced medicine in Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. He served two years in public health services in Alaska where he was taken by plane to each of his patients. Together Bill and his wife, Betty, enjoyed doing mission work and served in Guatemala, Peru, Africa, and Argentina. His love of flying impelled him to earn his pilot’s license and instrument rating certificate, which allowed him to fly throughout the states and the Bahamas. This skill was shared for the enjoyment of others, as was every skill and talent he possessed.
Whatever Bill did, he did with love and excellence, whether it was woodworking, gardening, working with stained glass, or needlepoint. His creations were always beautiful and given with love. If his help was needed by anyone, he would immediately and unbegrudgingly give his time, sweat, and energy to assist with the job.
In his downtime, he liked to read, do jigsaw puzzles, play games, and hike. He had a fun and sometimes quirky sense of humor that kids especially loved. Those of us who like puns also enjoyed his humor, a lot!
Bill was an active member of Living Hope Community Church in Bartonville and made sure he always attended the Bible studies. His priority each and every day was to read his Bible and devotions. He was a good man, a devout man, a loving man, a humble man. Those of us who were fortunate enough to know him have been truly blessed. We will miss his presence but look forward to the day when we join him and hear him say, “Welcome home!”
A funeral service will be held at 10:00 a.m., on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Elmwood. A visitation will be held the night before on Friday, April 5, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Burial will immediately follow the service at Milbrook Glendale Cemetery in Elmore, IL.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and Samaritan’s Purse.
To view Bill’s video tribute or to leave online condolences, please visit www.oakshinesfuneralhome.com
Oaks-Hines Funeral Home in Elmwood is in charge of arrangements.
No comments:
Post a Comment