William "Bill" Ellsworth Hartsock

William “Bill” E. Hartsock, 84, passed away on Saturday, July 20, 2024, at the University of Iowa Hospital following a month-long illness. His life will be celebrated on Thursday, July 25, 2024, at 11:00 AM at the Peterseim Funeral Home in Kalona. The family will greet friends from 9 – 11 AM at the funeral home on Thursday. 

William Ellsworth Hartsock was born February 13, 1940, in Iowa City, Iowa, the son of George E. and Gertrude (Bell) Hartsock. He graduated from Kalona High School and served in the United States Marines during the Vietnam War. After serving, he returned to the farm, and then worked as a roughneck in the California oil fields. Thereafter, he moved to Anchorage, Alaska doing various jobs as an ironworker until he was assigned a job in Juneau, Alaska in 1972. He was then a partner with two other owners in Southeast Steel Erectors for approximately 10 years and later owned and operated Hartsock Steel Erectors for another 10 years. On December 28th, 1974, he was united in marriage to Twyla Westfall in Juneau, Alaska, they spent 50 years of marriage together. After Bill retired, he won the Salmon Derby in Juneau in 1999, did some commercial fishing, and enjoyed traveling with his wife Twyla, playing golf, fishing, farming, and spending time with family.

 Survivors include his wife, Twyla; two siblings: Mary (Don) Gringer and Howard Hartsock; honorary daughter Kim (Mark) Liland, son Robert (Stephanie) Hartsock, son Shawn Hartsock (son of Bill and Twyla), daughter-in-law Kris Tudor, two stepsons: Robert Lorenzen and Wallace Olds; 10 grandchildren: Chase and Brooke Liland, Garbriel Hartsock and Olivia Hartsock-Nutter, Kaylee, Ryan, Matthew and Sarah Hartsock, Dane Tudor and Curtis Lorenzen, and great-granddaughter Skyler Manley

Preceding Bill in death were his parents, his brother Jake Hartsock, and his sister Doris Hartsock.