William Loren Pettys

William (Bill) Loren Pettys, age 90, of O'Fallon, Missouri passed away on Wednesday, May 13th, 2020 in St. Charles, Missouri. He was born in Minot, North Dakota on September 4th, 1929 to Frank and Nora Pettys. He retired Sergeant First Class from the Army Reserves in 1989 after 27 years of intermittent active service in the military. Bill was a jack of all trades and had many talents. As a young adult he played trumpet in dance bands in Minot. He continued to play the bugle at funerals for fallen veterans well into his 70's. He also played accordion, organ, piano and the banjo. He was able to fix anything on a car and every house he ever lived in always ended up looking better than when he first moved in. He was comfortable working in carpentry, electricity, plumbing, etc. You name it and Bill could fix it on a car or on a house. He could do just about anything he set his mind to do. He was also an avid hobbyist. He built model train layouts for his boys when they were kids and he built large detailed model sailboats into his later years. His garage was always immaculate and organized to every detail. Bill was also active in Boy Scouting throughout his life.

Bills first wife Grace passed away from complications with cancer in the fall of 1985 after 30 years of marriage. With the loss of his son Harlan at a young age and also the loss of his wife, Bill was having a rough go of it. However, in 1987 he met a retired civil servant named Roberta Sprague or "Bobbie". Bill and Bobbie were married on September 30th, 1988 and enjoyed 29 years together. Along with Bobbie came her children and their eventual grand and greatgrandchildren. Now Bill had many new family members to enjoy along with his son Loren and family. Bill and Bobbie lived life to the fullest. They were members of Amvets, VFW, and American Legion in O'Fallon. They frequented several restaurants including their favorite "Texas Roadhouse" and were both somewhat celebrities in the area. Bill was named Veteran of the Year in 2002 and in 2005 Bill and Bobbie were named "Mr. and Mrs." AMVETS of the year in the state of Missouri.

One of Bills proudest moments came at the building of the O'Fallon Veterans Memorial where his combat boots from Korea were used to develop a moving tribute to veterans and those left behind. The memorial is quite stunning and Bill continued to give out pins and literature about the memorial until the time of his passing.

Bill is survived by his son, Loren (Traci Hunsucker), of Sapulpa, Ok.; Step son, Sanford (Donna Meade) Sprague of St. Peters, MO; Step daughter, Catherine (Bernard) Nyhoff of O'Fallon, MO; Grandchildren, Amy, Lindley, Benjamin, and Drew, Step grandchildren, Ryan, Brett, Amy, Brian, Carrie, and Michael, Great grandchildren, Will, Benjamin, Levi and Hannah Grace; Step greatgrandchildren, Sonny, Eva, Ellie, Camryn, Nicholas, Adam, Nellina, Brinley, Liam, and other family members and friends.

A graveside Service will be held at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Jefferson Barracks, MO. Time and date have yet to be determined.

Memorials in his honor may be made to Amvets Post 106, St. Peters, MO or Stray Rescue of St. Louis.