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Bill Jay, 89, of Creston, entered eternal rest Tuesday, May 21, 2024, at the Mount Ayr Health Care Center. Memorial services will be 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 25, at Pearson Family Funeral Service & Cremation Center. Pastor Al Rusk will officiate. The family requests Iowa Hawkeyes or St. Louis Cardinals attire. Bill will be laid to rest in the Graceland Cemetery next to his wife Lois, with Military Honors performed by Theodore J. Martens VFW Post #1797.
Memorial contributions may be directed to the “William Jay Memorial Fund”, to be used for the Greenfield area recovery efforts. Memories and condolences can be shared online at www.pearsonfuneralhomes.com.
William R. “Bill” Jay was born May 30‚ 1934, to Clare and Elsie Jay in Orient. Bill was raised in Orient and graduated from Orient High School in 1952. In August 1954, he enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Germany as part of a 10-year Allied Occupation of the country after World War II. He was honorably discharged in August 1956.
After returning to Creston, he took a job at Creston Mutual Telephone Company. It was there he met his future wife. On Sept. 14 , 1957, he was united in marriage to Lois Kirkpatrick. The couple was blessed with three children: Denny, Randy and Barb. Bill worked for Creston Mutual, which later would become GTE, for 30 years, retiring in 1986. After retiring from GTE, he went to work for Westman Siding and Windows, where he worked for 10 years.
Bill enjoyed gardening, yard work and time spent with neighbors. In his younger years, he enjoyed bowling league, of which he was a part in Creston. Later in life, he took up golf and enjoyed Men’s League at Pine Valley in Creston. He was a great woodworker and carpenter and enjoyed building. His projects included everything from small shelves and rocking horses to grandfather clocks. He did all of the remodeling and additions to he and Lois’ home and he, his father and his two sons built their new two car garage.
He and Lois enjoyed following all of their children’s school activities and sporting events. Bill was very proud of being a Boy Scout leader for many years. Through the years, Bill and Lois enjoyed many trips to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to visit their son Randy and his family. As a kid, being an only child, he made a lot of special memories with his cousins from Des Moines, Indianola and Orient. Bill loved the time spent with family. His greatest pride and joy were his grandkids and great-grandkids which he referred to as his “Little Blessings.”
Preceding Bill in death were his parents; his wife, Lois; his son, Randy Jay; three sisters-in-law: Colleen (Dick) Brotherton, Carol (Jack) Wynn and Diane Loomis; two brothers-in-law: Boyd (Doris) and Jerry Kirkpatrick.
Bill is survived by his son, Denny (Camille) Jay of Bondurant; his daughter-in-law, Lizzi Jay of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and his daughter, Barb (Dan) Ide of Afton. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Becki Esparsen, Dusty (Kristen) Jay and Billy (Deidra) Jay, all of Albuquerque, New Mexico; Jacque (Jake) Tripp of Lenox, Brody Jay of Creston, Garret (Kennedy) Jay of Rochester, Minnesota, Jim (Lindsay) Ide of Shannon City and Emily (Lindsay) Ide of Creston, Connor (Jamie) Short of Windsor Heights and Kelsey (Jeremy) Klein of Bondurant; great-grandchildren: Marley Cole, Ryan, Lilly, Maddox, Ellison, Brixon, Adalynn and Callahan Jay, Claire and Grant Ide, ViviAnna and Quinton Tripp and Kennedy, Natalie, Lauren and Benjamin Klein. Other survivors include his brother-in-law, Ed (Barb) Kirkpatrick of Newport News, Virginia; sister-in-law, Nina Kirkpatrick of Creston as well as many nieces and nephews.