William G Stolley

William Stolley December 20, 1918 – January 8, 2014 William Stolley was born to George Stolley and Emma (Glandt) Stolley December 20, 1918 on his grandfather’s homestead at 152nd & West Dodge Road. He grew up in a neighborhood comprised of uncles, aunts, and cousins. He often remarked upon an early birthday when “Uncle John and the boys” brought his present, a hand-crafted rocker, across the field by team and wagon. Uncle John owned a car but the roads were blocked by heavy snow that December. Prior to entering school he learned and conversed in Plod-Deutsch, or Low German. Upon entering District 25 he spoke only English. From the one-room school his studies continued at Elkhorn High School but he transferred to Omaha’s Technical High School, where he was an avid student in auto shop classes, becoming a skilled automotive mechanic. Bill was a strong swimmer and became a member of the swim team until his responsibilities on the farm pre-empted that activity. He graduated from Tech in 1937 and continued to assist on his family’s farm. Besides farming William Stolley ran an automotive repair shop in the new garage on the West Dodge farm. Sometime in the 1930s he charged $5.00 for a 4-cylinder valve job and $6.00 for a 6-cylinder valve job. He especially enjoyed working on the Packard touring car of the notorious Omahan who had acquired property across the road from the Stolley farm. During the Depression days Bill also worked on the road crew building north 90th Street that ran past dairy farms on the edge of Omaha. At about that time he met and courted Evelyn Deerson from Winnetoon. They were married at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Millard, March 21, 1941. Patricia and Linda were born to the couple and the family continued to live on Dodge, a mile west of Boys Town, until Bill and Evelyn sold the farm and moved to their west Omaha home in 1969. She died October 30, 2005. Bill was confirmed at St. Paul’s, Millard, in 1932. He was baptized in February, 1919, at one of the predecessor churches of Immanuel, Benson; but Bill remembered having always attended Sunday School and services with his family at St. Paul’s. With his dad a member of the building committee when the new brick structure was built on Millard’s east-west main street in the 1920s Bill took the liberty of walking across the I-beam of the newly laid foundation. Several members of the building committee, including Big George Rohwer, hollered for him to get back onto solid ground, which he promptly did. Later, Bill served on St. Paul’s building committees and church councils. When the pastor was the only full time staff member Bill was the go-to guy for fixing the furnace, sweeping the floors, patching plaster, and gluing pews. As an usher he rang the bell during the Lord’s Prayer on Sundays, and tolled the bell until the hearse carrying the casket away from a funeral reached the edge of town. While on the farm Bill served on the District 25 school board, the Pleasant Hill cemetery board, the local election board, and the boards who met in session to solve the world’s problems at Mystery Oil and Ten Mile Inn. He combined grain and baled hay and shelled corn on his farm and those of others, with the neighbors reciprocating among one another to do the same. When District 25 consolidated with District 17 Bill drove the school bus from the late 1950s and beyond. He drove the pep club bus to Millard’s away games. As gravel roads became asphalt and farms were swallowed by new houses and Bill and Evelyn lived in town he worked for a while at Millard Small Engines where every bill of sale included an encoded entry that culminated in the crew’s afternoon beer. Later, he continued to apply his skills in small engine mechanics at Carl Andersen & Son. Semi-retired, Bill wrapped up his work years at Tractor Supply’s small engine repair shop. At home, he fixed everything that needed fixing and kept engines running longer than they should. Into his 90s Bill took seriously his stewardship of the earth with his summertime lawn looking every inch a green carpet. As a farmer, family man, neighbor, and man of faith Bill lived the life of a good steward. pk January 8, 2014

William G Stolley

December 20, 1918 - January 8, 2014