William Ward “Bill” Walderbach
1939-2020
William Ward “Bill” Walderbach passed from this life on March 5, 2020. Bill was born March 3, 1939 in Anamosa, Iowa. He was one of nine children born to parents Raymond and Ellen (Grabbe) Walderbach. Bill graduated from Anamosa High School in 1957 and attended Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa, on a baseball scholarship, graduating in 1961. In 1960 Bill married Jane Soper and in 1961 they welcomed their only child, Scott.
Bill spent 40 years working in the meatpacking industry. This began in 1962 when he was hired by Wilson & Co. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His association with Wilson moved the family several locations ending at the corporate headquarters in Oklahoma City in 1971.
In 1989 Bill was a founding partner of Normac Foods. A new career opportunity at ConAgra Foods took Bill and Jane to Ft. Collins, Colorado in 1995. He remained with ConAgra until his retirement in 2001. Bill and Jane relocated to Edmond, Oklahoma, to be nearer to family in 2018.
Bill was an avid sports fan, especially enjoying college football. After his retirement he spent many wonderful hours fishing and playing golf. Bill was a 3rd and 4th degree Knight of Columbus and was a member of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Edmond.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents and three siblings. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jane. He is also survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Becky Walderbach of Edmond. In addition, he leaves two grandsons, William and Robert, both students at Oklahoma State University. Bill took great pride in Scott and his family. Bill is also survived by five siblings.
A funeral mass will be held at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church at 10:00 a.m. on March 10, 2020. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mercy Hospice, Coffee Creek Riding Center, or Free to Live.
Sympathy to Jane and all the Walderbach family. My thoughts are with you.
Jane,
Our warmest condolences and prayers to you and your family from so many of your old friends here at Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Windsor, Colorado. Bill’s passing has saddened us all, and we will forever cherish the memories of him in our hearts. We are sorry that we will not be able to be there for you during this time of grief, and we hope to see you somehow over the next few months. We will have Masses for Bill here at Our Lady of the Valley Catholic Church. May the Lord walk beside you and comfort you.
God bless,
Rob and Eva
Bill had an incredible impact in many areas of his life. For many of us it was through his career. He was the true definition of a mentor, i.e., “an experienced and trusted adviser.” He left a major positive impact on so many throughout his career. This included all levels of his influence, not just within Human Resources. He was also a trusted adviser to Corporate Presidents and CEOs. He was tremendously respected by his counterparts in the labor movement. Seen as the “voice of reason” and “consummate gentlemen.” Bill, you will be missed, but through your leadership, you have left many to carry out their careers the way you would. God bless you and your family.