June 11, 1932 – August 26, 2020
August 26th was the GRAND HOMECOMING for William “Bill” Mueller. Bill had been waiting for this last step of his temporary time here on earth for many months and as he told his children multiple times, “I am ready to go.”
Bill was the 10th of 12 children born onto a dry-land farm in Western Kansas on June 11, 1932. Though he could later tell innumerable stories of his early life on the farm, he moved to Colorado Springs when he was 15 to live in the “Big City”. During a short stint in the Army, where he frostbit his feet at Ft. Carson, he met and married Wilma, who was also from a family in Kansas. Together, they settled in town and raised two children. Bill and Wilma had recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary.
Bill establish a local house painting business that he operated for over 40 years. He prided himself on his many return customers, their satisfaction with his work and his ability to create any color desired. He provided jobs for dozens of employees, took them fishing, and many of them stayed in contact with him for years afterward. His favorite saying quoted by children and grandchildren was, “Pretty work and lots of it.”
Faith was very important to Bill as he was involved in his church for over 50 years. He also volunteered as a Chaplain in the County Jail system for 20 years and would often help inmates right after their release by offering a job or financial incentive to help them move into a more productive life. He avidly read his Bible and spent many hours memorizing scripture. He was an active member of the Gideons for 30 years.
Family was also a main theme of Bill’s life and he enjoyed his many nieces and nephews who were fond of his sense of humor. He could spend hours playing his favorite board games or throwing horseshoes or just talking around the table at a family reunion.
Bill is survived by a brother and sister; two children, Dean and Beth Ann; two grandchildren, Joann and Logan; and 2 foster grandchildren, George and Iva.
Memorial gifts may be given in Bill’s name to the Gideons or Voice of the Martyrs.
A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, September 5, 2020 at Shrine of Remembrance “America the Beautiful” Chapel, 1730 E. Fountain Boulevard, Colorado Springs, CO 80910. Private entombment will be at Memorial Gardens Mausoleum.