Obituary of William Griswold

   WIlliam "Bill" Maust Griswold was born on March 20th, 1926. He grew up on the Southside of Chicago with his parents, grandparents, and younger sister Nancy. He attended Parker and Tilden High Schools where he learned many of the building and handyman skills he would use throughout his life. After graduation, Bill enlisted in the Army Air Force in World War II. As he trained to be a ball turret gunner he worked in airfields in Nebraska, Iowa, and North Dakota before taking a boat from Seattle to Japan to help with relief efforts after the war. He was honored for his service on the September 2012 Honor Flight.

   When he returned to Illinois Bill enrolled at Bradley University in Peoria where he got his degree in accounting and eventually went on to become a CPA for Clifton Gundersen, something he and his family were incredibly proud of. It was in Peoria where he met his wife Barb, a schoolteacher. They met at a dance and their first date was to a stock car race. They were married in 1951 and lived in Peoria until Bill’s job eventually moved the family to Sterling in 1956 where they raised their 4 children, and lived for the rest of their lives.

   Bill was an active citizen of Sterling throughout his life. He was a member of the Jaycees, American Legion 296, and Rotary Club. Additionally, he served on the board of the Sterling Public Library and worked as a Volunteer Patient Advocate. He had a passion for all things boating and spent his free time tinkering with his houseboat, which he loved to take out on the rivers with his family and friends for trips both short and long whenever he could. Bill shared his knowledge and love of boating by teaching boater safety classes and was a member of the United States Power Squadron in Clinton, IA. 

   After 35 years of dedicated service to Clifton Gundersen, Bill retired. During this time he did taxes for senior citizens through AARP until he was well into senior citizenhood himself and enjoyed benching - finding geodetic markers- with his long-time friend and boating buddy Ted Kontos. Bill and Ted became so good at benching that they received a national award of recognition, which took them on a trip aboard the NOAA ship in Alaska.

   Bill will be fondly remembered by his family and friends as incredibly humble, kind, generous, and always willing to help out. He is preceded in death by sister Nancy Scheidt, parents, Maust and Virginia Griswold, wife Barbara Griswold, son-in-law Steve Rice, and granddaughter Grace Boyes. He is survived by his four children Nancy (Larry) Lab, Howard Griswold, Ginger (Keith) Boyes, and Mary Rice, ten grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.

   Funeral services will be held at The First Presbyterian Church in Sterling at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 16th, 2024 with a visitation one hour before.

    In lieu of flowers please make donations to memorials established at the CGH Foundation, Sterling Public Library, or Rock River Hospice and Home. Links for websites are https://www.cghmc.com/forms/giving-back/,

https://www.sterlingpubliclibrary.org/content/donations-and-payments.html, https://hospicerockriver.org/donate/.

   Condolences may be sent to schillingfuneralhome.com.