Billings, William Albert 1893-1975

William Albert Billings (Bill) was born October 21, 1893 in St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada. He was the youngest of 7 children born to James Albert and Emma Bromell Billings, four of his siblings having died in infancy before he was born. Bill lived with his parents and sisters Gladys Marie and Amelia Caroline until his mother died when he was 11, in 1904.

Bill went to work as a young man for the Pere Marquette Railway. He was married in his late teens to Laura May Jones, and they had a daughter named Ila Maxine in 1911. Laura Mary died in 1919 in the flu epidemic that ran rampant throughout Canada and the U.S. Bill’s stepmother, Amanda, took care of Maxine until he remarried.

On April 7, 1920, Bill married Ariel Lavern Watson. Bill and Ariel had 3 children: Ariel Eileen (1921); George William (1923) and Jack Ramon (1925). Besides his work on the railroad, Bill enjoyed fame as a pitcher for the St. Thomas Saints and Tom Cats in the 1920s. He pitched St. Thomas to several league championships, and his name and exploits on the mound were weekly features in the St. Thomas Times Journal.

In 1928, his pitching career ended when Bill and the family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Maxine had married in earlier that year, and remained with her husband in Canada. Bill and the rest of his family remained in the U.S. for the rest of their lives.

Bill suffered a series of heart attacks in the 1930s, and was often unable to work. His health stabilized in the 1940s and he was employed by Ford Motor Company until his retirement in 1960. When World War II began, his sons George (also known as Bill) and Jack were called to serve. Although Bill returned home safely, Jack was killed on Normandy Beach in 1944.

In 1960, Bill and Ariel had a home built on the shores of Lake Huron, where he enjoyed the surrounding nature. Bill liked watching baseball on TV, although he was always frustrated that he could no longer pitch. He enjoyed his family, friends, and fixing things around the house.

Ariel and Bill celebrated their 50th anniversary in 1970 with family and friends. Bill passed away in July, 1975. His daughter Maxine died a month later.

Bill’s children in 1955: Maxine, son Bill with wife Kay; daughter Ariel with husband Harry; and Bill and Ariel on the right.

A prayer service was held Monday at 8 p.m. at the Gatzke Funeral Home; and funeral services were held Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Moltke with the Reverend Herbert J. Meyer with interment in the church cemetery.

Pallbearers for William A. Billings were John Curtis, Casey Donner, Lewis Karsten, Arnold Miller, Harold Spens, and Lee Visner.