William Orman 'Bill' Wanamaker

William Orman "Bill" Wanamaker, age 102, of Bella Vista, Ark., went home to be with the Lord on April 8, 2013. Bill accepted Jesus as savior at the tender age of 98. Bill was born in Barnes, Kan., in 1910, the sixth of 11 children of William and Bessie Wanamaker. He attended school in Barnes graduating from Barnes High School in 1928. He went on to attend and graduate from the University of Kansas business school. In 1940, Bill met and married Jane Winfred Byrn and began his career in the insurance business. This was interrupted with the onset of WWII and he served 27 months with the U.S. Army in the European Theater. After the war, Bill returned to Topeka, Kan. Bill and Jane were blessed with three children, John, Mark and Mary. John died just a few months after birth while Bill was in the Army. Following the war, Bill established the Independent Insurance firm, Wanamaker Agency Inc. He served as president of the agency until his retirement in 1974. His brother, Jay Wanamaker, succeeded as president of the agency. Bill also helped establish the State of Kansas CPCU Society and received the CPCU designation in 1955. He was active in the Topeka Insures Association, the Kansas Association of Independent Agents, and the National Charted Property and Casualty Underwriters, where he was a life member. Jane passed away in 1974 and Bill moved to Bella Vista, Ark., at the Concordia Retirement facility and remained there until his death. He was a member of the Bella Vista Community Church, Bella Vista Cribbage Club and a life member of the Elks Club of Topeka. Bill was an avid fisherman and was a life member and past president of the Bella Vista Fly Tyers Club, where he taught the fly-tying classes. While living in Bella Vista, he married Elsie Godwin Ellison in 1975. Elise passed away in 1989. He then married Susie Linn McFerrin in 1990 and she passed away in 2009. Bill celebrated his 100th birthday in 2010, where 185 friends and family attended the gala event at the Bella Vista Community Church. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, and all of his brothers and sisters. Surviving is a daughter, Mary Holmes (Alan) of Baldwin, Kan.; and a son, Mark (Shelly) of Topeka, Kan. Also surviving are four grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild. Memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 13, 2013, at the Bella Vista Community Church, 75 E. Lancashire, Bella Vista, Ark. Cremation is planned and there will be a private internment at the Bella Vista Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Bella Vista Community Church. Online condolences may be made at www.funeralmation.com.