William Yoder, Jr

William Yoder, Jr.

William James Yoder, Jr., of Fort Dodge, died Sunday, August 27, 2006 at his home.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, August 30 at St. Olaf Lutheran Church with Rev. David Grindberg officiating.  Burial will follow the service in the St. Olaf Cemetery, Fort Dodge, with Military Rites conducted by the Walter Porsch V.F.W. Post 1856.  Visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 29 from 5-8 p.m. at the Bruce-Graham Funeral Home and Cremation Center.

Bill was born August 27, 1938 the son of William Sr. and Margie (Brennan) Yoder in Manson.  Upon graduating from Manson High School he entered the United States Navy, serving for three years.  In addition to serving actively in the Navy, Bill served in the Army Reserve and National Guard for more than 20 years.  On June 9, 1961 he was united in marriage to Ruth Forbes in the Little Brown Church in Nashua.  To this union, four children were born.  Bill and Ruth have since been longtime members of the St. Olaf Lutheran Church.  In 1987 he graduated from Buena Vista University.

Bill owned and operating Bill Yoder Appliance Repair in Fort Dodge for many years.  In addition to operating his own business he volunteered much of his time.  He received a coaching award for 20 plus years of coaching YMCA teener baseball.  Bill coached various youth sports and activities and also was a basketball referee for both youth and adults.  Furthermore, he volunteered his time as a Cub Scout den leader.

Mr. Yoder will be forever known as a man with a great sense of humor.  No matter what the situation, he was able to pull humor from it.  One of Bills greatest passions was spending time with his grandkids and attending their sporting events.  An avid baseball and football fan, Bill could always be found cheering on the Minnesota Twins and the Minnesota Vikings.

Those thankful for having shared in Bills life include his wife Ruth, children; Jon Yoder, Julianne Springer, Jill Duffield, James Yoder and their families, sisters; Gloria Witham and Norma Avelleyra.  Bill is also survived by 8 grandchildren.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents and two sisters; Charlotte Nelson and Geraldine Julius.

Bruce-Graham Funeral Home