William H. Wrigley

William (Bill) Howard Wrigley died October 31, 2021, at Jefferson Community Health & Life in Fairbury. He was 99 years young.

Born February 15, 1922, near Derby Iowa to John E. and Wilma (Kroetsching) Wrigley. When he was two years old his family moved to the Wrigley family farm near Harbine, Nebraska. Bill attended school in Harbine through tenth grade, then graduated from Diller High School in 1939.

In 1941 he attended sheet metal school in Fairbury and then went to Baltimore, Maryland where he worked at the Glen L. Martin plant, building B-52 bombers, and later transferred to the company’s plant in Omaha. Bill entered the Marine Corp in the fall of 1943. His basic training was completed in San Diego. He then spent time at bases in Miramar, CA, Jacksonville, FL, Cherry Point, NC and Camp Lejeune, NC. Corporal Wrigley was honorably discharged on July 3, 1946. Bill then returned home to the farm.

Bill married Marilyn Stephens on May 29, 1949, in the Diller Methodist church. They had two daughters, Marilee Kay and Beth Ann and continued to farm until he was eighty years old. Bill loved restoring old bicycles, various wood projects, and especially his dog, Buddy! Over the years he enjoyed various civic activities, including his twelve years as Jefferson County Commissioner, Church board, Blue Valley Mental Health board and one of his favorites was the years he spent as 4-H Leader for the county wide Sheep Club. After retiring, he looked forward to morning coffee with the guys at Harbine. Bill and Marilyn Square danced with the Beatrice Club for many years. In January 2017 they moved into Fairbury.

His sharp wit and sense of humor will be missed by his survivors, including wife of 72 years, Marilyn; two daughters, Marilee (Jerry) Pfeifer and Beth Dietze, brother Frederic (Lois) Wrigley, grandchildren Adam (Rochelle) Pfeifer, Eric (Mary) Pfeifer, Grant (Katerina) Dietze, Clayton (Amy) Dietze and Shelby [Mike Bruno] Dietze, nine great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, brothers Edmund and Robert, sisters Carrie Grabowski and Martha Grummert and Granddaughter Paige Elizabeth Dietze.

Services will be Friday, November 5, 2021, with burial at 9:30 a.m. at Prairie Home Cemetery – Diller, NE, and the Funeral service at 11:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Fairbury. The Family will greet friends at the funeral home on Thursday evening from 5 – 7. Memorials will go to the Blue Valley Food Pantry. Gerdes-Meyer Funeral Home is assisting with arrangements.