Billy Roberts

Billy Walter Roberts, 86, of Bettendorf, Iowa, passed away peacefully on October 10, 2022, at Genesis Medical Center in Davenport.

Funeral services will be held this Saturday, October 15 at McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Home in Bettendorf. Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m. and the service will start at 10:30 a.m. Burial will follow at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Pleasant Valley, Iowa.

Bill was born on October 4, 1936, in Dawson, Iowa, the son of Joseph Warren and Josephine (Hingeley) Roberts. He married Thelma Jean Hunt on June 4, 1961, in Dallas, Iowa. He attended the University of Iowa and Upper Iowa University, graduating in 1958 and finished his master’s degree in education at Augustana College in 1972. He taught earth science and coached football, wrestling, and track at Pleasant Valley High School for 29 years, retiring in 1996.

He served in the Army National Guard for over 30 years and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. He was a member of the Midwest Tool Collectors Association and loved the world of antique and traditional woodworking tools. Bill enjoyed fishing, hunting, searching for fossilized rocks, reading history, telling funny stories, and teasing his friends and family members. Above all else, he treasured his family.

Survivors include his wife of 61 years, Thelma Roberts of Bettendorf, daughter Elizabeth (Samuel) Benz of Superior, Colorado, son John Roberts of LeClaire, Iowa, and grandchildren Paul, Martin, Julia, Laci, and Lane.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister Mathea Lee, and brother Warren Joe Roberts.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, the Salvation Army, or to the Disabled American Veterans.

Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.McGinnis-

Chambers.com.