William E. Herrick

William Edward Herrick, 90, a resident of the Bickford Cottage in Moline, Illinois and formerly of Pleasant Valley, Iowa died peacefully on Monday, November 10, 2008 at the Bickford Cottage surrounded by his beloved family.
His funeral service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Thursday, November 13, 2008 at the McGinnis-Chambers Funeral Chapel, Bettendorf, Iowa. Burial with military honors will be in Wapello Cemetery, Wapello, Iowa. Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Wednesday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to the Scott County Humane Society, the American Cancer Society or the Alzheimer’s Disease Foundation.
He was born June 9, 1918 in Wapello and was raised by his grandparents, William & May Herrick.
William served in the U.S. Army during World War II and was part of the landing troops at the invasion of Normandy. While stationed in England, he met & fell in love with Doris Audrey Elizabeth Buckler whom he met at dance and was also a soldier, serving in the English Army. They were married on March 6, 1943 in Taunton, England. William served as a medic and ambulance driver during the war and affectionately nicknamed his ambulance “Baby Ann” after their own daughter, Ann May who died as an infant. William’s faithful dog, “Calvadose” was at his side during those days and provided comfort to the injured soldiers, both American & German whom William cared for on the battlefield.
Following his honorable discharge, William & Doris returned to Iowa where William worked as an automobile mechanic for Tillmans Auto Service of Wapello and for Fred Peters Construction of Davenport. He later was part of the construction crew that built the Alcoa Plant in Riverdale, Iowa. In later years, he worked for the Union Oil Company in Riverdale and retired in 1985.
He took a great interest in aviation and was the one of the first persons in the area to build his own bi-plane which he flew in and around the Quad-Cities for many years.
His memberships included the Davenport Wheel & Canvas Camping Club, the Good Sam Camping Club, the National Travelers Camping Club and the Wapello Veterans of Foreign Wars. He & Doris loved to dance and spend time with their friends on camping trips. He & Doris traveled all over the United States, Canada and other countries. In earlier years, he enjoyed riding his Harley Davidson motorcycles and was an avid fan of the Quad-City Mallards and later the Quad-City Flames.
Those left to honor his memory include his daughter, Carol Lancaster of Davenport, Iowa; his son, Barry (Maria) Herrick of East Moline, Illinois; eight grandchildren; thirteen great-grandchildren; five great-great-grandchildren; and his half-sisters, Marie Stalkfleet of Wapello and Irene Mowl of Muscatine; and his half-brother, Dean Blanchard of Muscatine; and his beloved cat, “Friday.”
William was preceded in death by his infant daughter; Ann May Herrick; his beloved wife, Doris on April 29, 2005; three sisters; three brothers; and his son-in-law, Wally Lancaster on January 19, 2006.
William was extremely proud to be a part of what Tom Brokaw referred to as “the greatest generation.”
The family would like to extend a special thanks to the staff of the Bickford Cottage for their compassionate and professional care shown to their dad these past few years.