William August Hanesworth

William "Bill" August Hanesworth, 79, formerly of DeWitt, Iowa, died late Saturday evening, November 4, 2017, at  home in Wittenberg, Wisconsin.

He was born April 4, 1938, to Rolland and Sara (Veglahn) Hanesworth in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, and was raised in Stoddard, Wisconsin. Growing up on the Mississippi River, Bill worked as a fishing guide and at his father's lumberyard. He entered the United States Navy Reserve before he graduated from high school in 1956. Bill served as an active duty Boatswain's Mate, serving two years on the USS Shasta.  He married Ruth Elizabeth Lee on February 15, 1959, in DeWitt. Bill was employed at Coast to Coast Hardware, then as a mechanic for Danny Kaufman, before becoming a supervisor at Chemplex Chemical Company in Clinton, where he worked until retirement in 1998.  He served on the Chemical Credit Union board for many years.

Bill was an avid Hawkeye fan, and enjoyed tailgating at the Iowa Hawkeyes football and basketball games. He also enjoyed collecting treasures from flea markets throughout the Midwest and their travels all over the country, covering most of the 50 states, plus Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, France, and England.  For the last several years, Bill and Ruth spent the winter months in Mesa, Arizona, where he enjoyed golfing, and the warm weather. They spent the summer months in Wittenberg, Wisconsin, where he enjoyed taking golf cart rides through the woods.

He will be affectionately remembered by his loving wife of 58 years, Ruth; daughters, Karen (Dan) Higgins of Wittenberg and Lori (Dennis) Habenicht of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin;  grandchildren, Kori (Nick) Belk, Kevin (Stephanie) Marik, Matt (Shannon) Higgins, Ben Higgins, and Keller Habenicht; great-grandchildren, Tyson Belk, Mitchell Belk, Scarlett Belk and Crosby Marik; siblings, Gary Hanesworth of Taylorsville, North Carolina, Tom (Phyllis) Hanesworth of DeWitt and Lydiann (Hank) Shaw of Morrilton, Arkansas; a brother-in-law, Ralph Krause of LaCrosse; many nieces, nephews, other relativesand friends.

Preceding Bill in death were his parents and a sister Rose Elaine Krause.

A private burial for family will be held at Elmwood Cemetery, DeWitt. All relatives and friends are invited to a Celebration of Life Luncheon at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017, at Buzzy's in Welton.