William "Bill" Russell Oster, Jr., 84, of Ames, Iowa, passed away on September 2, 2020, with his family by his side. A private graveside service will be held at the Iowa Veterans Cemetery in Van Meter, Iowa.
Bill was born on November 30, 1935, in Quincy, Massachusetts, to William and Priscilla (MacLean) Oster. He honorably served his country by enlisting in the United States Army, where he spent 23 years. He attained the rank of E-8 Master Sergeant. After being honorably discharged in 1976, Bill went into construction as a framer and carpenter in Colorado Springs. He was a graduate of Pikes Peak Community College, earning two associate's degree - one in Automotive and one in Welding. Bill married Sally Shearer Bice on November 7, 1989, in Colorado Springs. Soon thereafter, they built a home in the mountains of southern Colorado and they moved to Jasper, a former gold mining town, where Bill served as caretaker. Their zest for adventure next took them to Maine, where they enjoyed chasing down Bill's East Coast genealogy. They have lived in Ames for the past 12 years, to be closer to family. Bill especially enjoyed traveling on genealogy trips, and visiting family in Colorado. He and Sally found joy in spending time with their children and grandchildren.
Left to cherish Bill's memory are his wife of 30 years, Sally, and his children from his first wife, Effie Samora, William Russell Oster III and Juanita (Richard) Frizzell, all of Colorado Springs. Bill's step-children include Jennifer Skiff of Manitou Springs, CO, Molly (Richard) Pierce of West Des Moines, and Andy (Melissa) Schnurr of Ankeny. Grandchildren include Shane Oster, Cody Oster, and Tyler Oster, all of Colorado Springs; Dylan Frizzell and Dalton Frizzell, also of Colorado Springs; step-grandchildren include Sophie and Emerson Pierce of West Des Moines, and Ainsley and Cora Schnurr of Ankeny. Great-grandchildren include Quentin and Harrison Frizzell, and Thea Oster, all of Colorado Springs. Bill has one remaining brother, Peter Dors, of East Providence, Rhode Island.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents, William and Priscilla; by one brother, John Oster, and two sisters, Virginia Clark and Karen Paulk.
Memorial contributions may be made to Cornerstone Church of Ames.
Online condolences may be directed to www.grandonfuneralandcremationcare.com
I'm so thankful I got have Bill as my stepdad for 30 years; he walked me down the aisle and was a wonderful, loving grandpa to my kids. I'll never forget when he grabbed a sled during one Maine winter and showed the grandkids how to sled down a long hill... this was just about 15 years ago! Bill was a one in a million and I"m thankful that he up in Heaven with his history heroes, his family, and with our Lord. We love you always, Bill!
Blessings of strength and comfort to you all. I will greatly miss working on our genealogy online. I am thankful for his time serving this country, and have heard how he had continued to visit my mom in the nursing home, making the long trip repeatedly. My heart is heavy.
Even though I didn’t get a chance to know Uncle Bill. I was able to learn about they family . Over the past few years I truly came to understand what compassion for others really meant. The world truly lost a great man, father , father, uncle and husband. Heaven just got a lot brighter.
Bill was a great man, I had the privilege to work with him in his later years at Cornerstone Church. He was the ultimate volunteer, his only pay was lunch with Randy.
He worked hard to always have everything ready for everyone to do their jobs. And when he stopped working we all felt a major loss, and quite honestly we could not find anything anymore
He came to know Jesus late in life and just wanted to learn, he went to every service he could.
I will say it again He was a great man
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