William Roger Deweese

William Roger DeWeese was born in 1928, in Tennessee, but lived for a few years in Rocky Hill, KY, until the death of his beloved mother. Bill and his brothers spent their childhoods in Kentucky Baptist Children’s Home, an orphanage in Glendale, KY, that Bill always referred to as “The Home”.

Bill left the orphanage at 18 and began making his own way in the world. He worked in Indianapolis, went to Western Kentucky University and served in the Army during the Korean war. As a trained medic, Bill was part of the 37th Hospital Train, and also helped build the military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany.

Bill was living and working in Chicago when, one evening in 1957, he found himself dancing with a beautiful woman at the famous Aragon Ballroom. The woman was named Elsie Lawrenz, a war widow with a teenage daughter named Carol. Bill and Elsie fell in love, married in 1963, then moved to Park Forest where they lived for over 50 years. Bill worked for Remington Arms, later known as Rollock, as a foreman in the chainsaw department. He went on to work for Harry Miller Co. as a salesman of metallurgical oils covering the midwest.

Bill became quite a fisherman and golfer, getting two hole-in-one awards while travelling as a salesman. He believed in physical fitness and worked out at the Governor State Gym three times a week until he was 90.

Upon retirement, Bill and Elsie bought a hobby farm on Lone Oak Rd. in Millerstown, Kentucky, and spent many joyful vacations there. Once a tractor was purchased, a pond was put in and stocked, dead trees were cleared and paths made, cave entrances and waterfalls were found, and many family reunions were held; so much fun was had by Bill, Elsie, and their family.

Bill and Elsie were members of a large and diverse family, united by a deep love for each other and a fondness for storytelling. Bill told nearly unbelievable stories, played the harmonica, sang songs and recited poetry memorized 70 years ago, loved learning new words, and studied politics and geography with passion.

Bill survived a heart attack in 1996, a terrible tractor accident in 2005, a nasty fall down a steep set of stairs in 2011, the death of his devoted wife in 2013, the glaucoma that took his eyesight in 2018, and untold pain from those accidents and losses.

William Roger DeWeese was only 92 when he passed away, but was holding the hands of his loved ones. He is survived by his daughter, Carol Kapheim, his granddaughter, Solange Kapheim, and his great-grandson, Marek Kapheim.