Bill Wickham

George William (Bill) Wickham was born July 14, 1942, to Robert and Betty Hall Wickham. He died on May 30,2024 in Ocala FL.

Bill was a “WW II baby”, lovingly raised in Weldon, Iowa by his Wickham parents and grandparents George and Ruth Hall. Bill attended grade school through Sophomore year in Weldon and graduated from Clarke Community High School in Osceola in 1960.

The summers of his youth were spent with Weldon friends, delivering his paper route for the Des Moines Register and Tribune, traveling to Skunk Island, MN with grandparents, listening to baseball on the radio, working with Grandpa at the George Hall Grain Company. In his teen years he baled hay for local farmers and worked with Grandpa and Uncle Bill Hall at the grain elevator in Osceola.

Bill was a natural athlete, and most of his activities and interests revolved around sports. He played pick-up ball with Weldon friends, basketball, baseball and track in high school, and participated in baseball, softball and racquetball leagues as an adult. From earliest childhood he loved listening to the St Louis Cardinals with his mother and grandfather and passed his love for the Cards down to his sons.He attended NW Missouri State College in Maryville, MO for 2 years, worked for the Milwaukee Railroad, and then for Proctor & Gamble for more than 25 years. After moving to Florida, he attended Edison Community College, Fort Myers, Florida where he graduated as a Respiratory Therapist. He worked at hospitals in Fort Myers, Naples and Ocala, Florida.

Bill and his first wife Janice Bengford established a family beginning in 1966 and raised 4 children together: Tami, Tracey, Robert and Blake.

In 1985 Bill and Gail Van Pelt were married, and moved to Florida where his favorite holiday season was Cardinals Spring Training in Jupiter. He attended games in nearly all of the National League baseball stadiums, and in many of what he would call the “minor” American League stadiums. He spent a milestone 60th birthday at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY for the induction of Ozzie Smith, legendary short stop for the Cardinals. Bill followed Iowa Hawkeyes football and basketball with the same loyalty as the Cardinals, and would talk games, players and coaches as long as you wanted.

Bill was an avid reader of a wide range of authors and interests. He was a great cook, loved riding his bike and enjoyed traveling, especially to St. Louis, Memphis, Savannah, and Apalachicola. When he traveled, he loved watching baseball, sightseeing, and exploring different breweries.

Bill was preceded in death by his grandparents, parents, his daughter Tami and his brother-in-law Steven Fredrickson.

He is survived by his wife Gail, in his words “for the best 39 years of his life”, his children Tracey, Rob (Shelly), Blake (Shawna), and their mother Janice, and stepsons, Robert and Jeffrey Van Pelt. He is also survived by his siblings Barbara (George), Becky (Bob), Beth, Bob (Cheri) and Belinda (Brian), cousins Bill and Steve Hall, 11 nieces and nephews, 9 grandchildren, a host of McClelland cousins and many friends.

Bill’s resting place will be at Metier Cemetery in Weldon, Iowa.

A gatheringfor family and friends will be planned in Weldon in September.