William "Bill" Gerriets

William "Bill" Gerriets, 73, of Webster, passed away, Thursday, December 5, 2024, at Bethesda Home in Webster.

Memorial services will be 11:00am May 3, 2025, at Fiksdal Funeral Service.

William “Bill” Gerriets was born April 17, 1951, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, to Lewis and Gladys (Hempel) Gerriets. Following his father’s discharge from active duty in the U.S. Army in 1952, the family moved back to Webster, where Bill began his elementary education. He transferred to the South Dakota School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 1963. In school he participated in basketball, track and cross country. He was confirmed at the Ephphatha Chapel of East Side Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls in 1969 and graduated high school in 1970. Bill went on to further his education at North Dakota School of Science in Wahpeton, North Dakota, completing a course in graphic arts in 1972.

Bill worked for a print shop in Pierre, South Dakota, before beginning a 28-year career working at Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota, in the power plant. He retired in November 2007 and returned to live in Webster.

Bill enjoyed hunting and building and flying model airplanes. He was also a licensed amateur radio operator, KB0TYX. Bill did extensive research on his family’s genealogy, creating family trees going back as far as 1821, and documenting them with many pictures of his ancestors. In retirement he began growing roses and generously shared the beautiful blossoms with family and friends.

Bill is survived by his siblings Ted (Dawn) Gerriets of Cochrane, Alberta; Richard (Bonita) Gerriets of Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Steve (Carla) Gerriets of Omaha, Nebraska; Lois (Donald) Kirkegaard of Sturgis, South Dakota; and sister-in-law Ann Gerriets, Waubay, South Dakota, as well as numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents, brother Dale Gerriets, and nephew Robert Gerriets.