William Dean Bush, 84, of Newton, died Saturday, June 6, 2020, at Newton Village Health Care Center. A visitation will be held from 12-2 p.m., Friday, June 19, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Newton. Following the visitation, a graveside service will be held at Newton Memorial Park Cemetery. Memorials in Bill’s name (checks made payable to Mary Wilkening) may be left at the funeral home.
Bill, the son of William and Laura (Neifert) Bush, was born Aug. 23, 1935, in rural Maurice. He grew up in rural Kellogg and Reasnor. Bill graduated from Newton High School in 1953. He then served his country in the Air Force from 1954-1958. Dec. 31, 1959, Bill was united in marriage with Betty Bogue in Bethany, MO. They made their home in Newton where Bill worked as a pipefitter for the Maytag Company for over 38 years, retiring in 1992. After his retirement, he worked as a courier for Keystone Labs for several years.
Bill was a proud member of the UAW Local 997 and enjoyed the retiree picnics. He was also a past member of the Moose Lodge. Bill was an avid sprint car fan and attended the races in Knoxville for many years. He enjoyed watching both sprint cars and NASCAR on television. In 2013, Bill was a member of the Jasper County Freedom Flight to Washington, DC.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Mary (Gary) Wilkening of Monroe; grandson, Ryan Wilkening of Pleasant Hill; great-grandson, Reed Wilkening of Pleasant Hill; his sister, Sara (Bryce) Hendricks of Rio Rancho, NM; and brother, John Bush of Killduff. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Betty.
