William "Bill" Patton

West Des Moines

William “Bill” Patton, 77, passed away on Tuesday, April 5, 2016 at Unity Point Methodist in Des Moines. Memorial Services will be 11 a.m. Saturday, April 9, 2016 at Covenant Presbyterian Church in West Des Moines with burial at Resthaven Cemetery.

William was born February 12, 1939 in Mason City, Iowa to Roger and Helen (VanSickle) Patton. William retired as Captain in U.S. Navy after 27 years, in both active and reserve roles. During his time as a reserve officer, William was VP of sales for Stitzell Electric Company in Des Moines. William was a member of the Downtown Rotary and also a past member of the Lion’s Club in West Des Moines. He was very active in the church and served as an Ordained Elder and was also on the memorial and property committees. William was also a timer for the Drake Relays for over 20 years. He was an avid Hawkeye fan, enjoyed golfing, traveling, and sailing, but his first love was his grandchildren and attending all their activities and events.

William is survived by his wife of 40 years, Sally; son, Scott (Angie) of Woodstock, Georgia, David (LeAnn) of Aurelia, Iowa; step-son, Shawn (Brenda) Shearer of Dallas, Texas; step-daughter, Heidi Koch of West Des Moines; and 15 grandchildren; Lexie, Annika, Lauren, Alex and Will Patton; Tyler, Nicholas, Parker, and Ryan Shearer, Sloane and Channing Verbic; Nicole, Blake, Tatum and Piper Koch. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Richard Patton.

A Memorial Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at McLaren’s Chapel in West Des Moines. Memorials may be directed to Covenant Presbyterian Church.