Obituary for William "Bill" Horstman

William “Bill” Arthur Horstman passed away on April 12, 2022 surrounded by family after a short illness at the age of 88. He was born in the town of Burns on the family farm on August 22, 1933 to John F. and Celia (Miller) Horstman where he lived his entire life. Proud to be a life-long member of St. Paul's Ev. Lutheran Church of Bangor where he was baptized, confirmed, and married to Bethel Lily Sprehn on June 19, 1962. In his words, it didn’t seem like Sunday if you didn’t go to church. He served on the St. Paul’s church council and finance committee many times throughout his life. Bill graduated from Bangor High School in 1951 where he was a charter member of the Bangor FFA. In his early years, he actively played softball and church volleyball. After overcoming a farming accident on December 1, 1979, he still continued to farm. He was a die-hard, life-long farmer and had a love for Allis Chalmers tractors. He was also a successful Dekalb seed corn salesman and a member of the Sparta Coop Board of Directors. Bill was a charter member of the Bangor Lions, serving as secretary for many years, Lion of the year in 2005 and recipient of the Melvin Jones Award. He was also a member of the La Crosse County Pork Producers where he was the head Grill Master and was well known for the butterfly pork chop sandwiches. He also grilled for many other organizations in the county. He was an avid sports fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, but especially Bangor Cardinal sports. He enjoyed watching his children and grandchildren play and rarely missed a Bangor athletic event. He attended Bangor basketball games for over 80 years. His retirement years were spent playing cards, bus trips and many vacations. Bill is survived by his wife of almost 60 years, Bethel and their four children: Bart (Cheri), their children Mikayla (Ross) Caygill, Morgan and Brayden; Becky (Robbie) Martin, their children Robert, Bethany and Lily; Brent (Lori), their children Trevor and Sam; Blake (Lisa), their children Carter and Chase; great-granddaughter Celia Caygill; sister, Leona Von Haden; sisters in-law Bonnie Horstman and Sara (Ron) Tenner; brother in-law Richard Young; many nieces, nephews, and friends. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, father and mother in-law Robert and Dallys (Storandt) Sprehn; brothers Robert (Shirley), La Vern “Pat” (Joyce) and Raymond; brother-in-law Donald Von Haden and sister in-Law Betsy Young. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday April 20, 2022, at St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church of Bangor. Pastor Brock Groth officiating. Burial will follow in Burns Cemetery. Friends and family are invited to call from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday April 19, 2022 at the Jandt-Fredrickson Funeral Home in Bangor and 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the church on Wednesday. Memorials can be made to St. Paul’s Ev. Lutheran Church or Sunshine on the Trail.