Wiillard was the first born to Willard and Iva Sitts on July 9,1922 in Iantha, Missouri. When he was 13 the family moved to Idaho. He never went to high school and he joined the National Guard in 1941. He married Irene Schimmels on October 3, 1942. He served overseas during WWII and was a POW in Germany until the end of the war. Upon his return for the war and during his stay in the hopstial he got his GED.
He and Irene had 4 children, Sharon (Steve Steffke), Rick (Pat), Janet(Ron Bryson) & Jeffery. In 1961 they moved to Illinois where he worked full time at Ovaltine Food Products and part time for Meyer's Movers. He left Ovaltine in 1977 and then began working at National Can.
They also had 8 grandchildren: Chris Bergendoff (son of Sharon), Robert & Joseph Sitts (sons of Rick & Pat), Anthony, Michael & Edward Sifuentes (sons of Janet), Jimmy & Angie Bryson (step children of Janet), Diana & Jeffery Jr (children of Jeffery) Willard retired from National Can Company in 1984 due to Irene's health. In 1985 they moved back to Idaho. where they resided until his death in 1993.
Besides his wife, children and grandhildren he was survived by a brother Carol Dean (Annabelle), a sister Betty Jean Ishibashi (Bob)and a sister-in-law Janet. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Calvin Ray.
My brothers always said that I was my dad's favorite and I don't deny that one bit! My dad was my hero in every way. If I ever had a question about anything he was the person I would ask because well, he knew EVERYTHING!! I remember our trips from Illinois to Idaho where we would drive straight through (over 1800 miles) and I got the night shift...in other words I was the one to get to sit up front and keep my dad awake while he drove through the night. I would ask him endless questions and he would tell me stories about living in Missouri before his family moved to Idaho. I hated the thought of disappointing my dad even but that didn't seem to stop me when I became a rebellious teenager....going places I was told not to go and hanging out with kids that I was warned to stay away from. My dad was a big man but he was actually a gentle giant; I remember being spanked only one time with a belt and that was when my younger brother and I acted up in a dimestore when my grandparents were visiting from Idaho. We must have been about 8 and 9; my mother was very embarrassed by our behavior and we were punished for it. When I was pregnant with my first son in 1978 my dad made a remark about me "waddling like a duck" and it hurt my feelings; if anybody else had said it, it wouldn't have bothered me but I guess with the hormones going on during pregnancy it just devastated me that my dad made fun of me. He found out it had hurt my feelings and apologized for the remark and I know it bothered him that he had hurt my feelings. In 1980 when my sister in law Pat and I were pregnant and due at almost the same time we both wanted to give my dad his first granddaughter as he already had 3 grandsons but it was not to be, we both had healthy baby boys; daddy loved them every bit as much as he would have it they had both been girls. He loved taking his grandsons for haircuts. Other than my oldest son's first haircut my dad took my boys for all their haircuts until he and mom moved back to Idaho; the boy s loved it as much as my dad did. My kids loved when my parents would come back to Illinois and visit; they would stay a few days with us and when my dad would "yell" at me or tell me to do something they loved it....they thought it was funny that their mom had to listen to her dad even though I was an adult. So many good times, so many memories! When I got the call that my dad had died I was in shock...my dad wasn't supposed to die, he and mom had plane tickets to come see us in Alabama in August! My dad's funeral was not an easy day for me, it was on my 36th birthday and having to say a final good bye to him broke my heart into pieces. But I know it's not final, I know I will see my dad and mom again one day in heaven.
He and Irene had 4 children, Sharon (Steve Steffke), Rick (Pat), Janet(Ron Bryson) & Jeffery. In 1961 they moved to Illinois where he worked full time at Ovaltine Food Products and part time for Meyer's Movers. He left Ovaltine in 1977 and then began working at National Can.
They also had 8 grandchildren: Chris Bergendoff (son of Sharon), Robert & Joseph Sitts (sons of Rick & Pat), Anthony, Michael & Edward Sifuentes (sons of Janet), Jimmy & Angie Bryson (step children of Janet), Diana & Jeffery Jr (children of Jeffery) Willard retired from National Can Company in 1984 due to Irene's health. In 1985 they moved back to Idaho. where they resided until his death in 1993.
Besides his wife, children and grandhildren he was survived by a brother Carol Dean (Annabelle), a sister Betty Jean Ishibashi (Bob)and a sister-in-law Janet. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Calvin Ray.
My brothers always said that I was my dad's favorite and I don't deny that one bit! My dad was my hero in every way. If I ever had a question about anything he was the person I would ask because well, he knew EVERYTHING!! I remember our trips from Illinois to Idaho where we would drive straight through (over 1800 miles) and I got the night shift...in other words I was the one to get to sit up front and keep my dad awake while he drove through the night. I would ask him endless questions and he would tell me stories about living in Missouri before his family moved to Idaho. I hated the thought of disappointing my dad even but that didn't seem to stop me when I became a rebellious teenager....going places I was told not to go and hanging out with kids that I was warned to stay away from. My dad was a big man but he was actually a gentle giant; I remember being spanked only one time with a belt and that was when my younger brother and I acted up in a dimestore when my grandparents were visiting from Idaho. We must have been about 8 and 9; my mother was very embarrassed by our behavior and we were punished for it. When I was pregnant with my first son in 1978 my dad made a remark about me "waddling like a duck" and it hurt my feelings; if anybody else had said it, it wouldn't have bothered me but I guess with the hormones going on during pregnancy it just devastated me that my dad made fun of me. He found out it had hurt my feelings and apologized for the remark and I know it bothered him that he had hurt my feelings. In 1980 when my sister in law Pat and I were pregnant and due at almost the same time we both wanted to give my dad his first granddaughter as he already had 3 grandsons but it was not to be, we both had healthy baby boys; daddy loved them every bit as much as he would have it they had both been girls. He loved taking his grandsons for haircuts. Other than my oldest son's first haircut my dad took my boys for all their haircuts until he and mom moved back to Idaho; the boy s loved it as much as my dad did. My kids loved when my parents would come back to Illinois and visit; they would stay a few days with us and when my dad would "yell" at me or tell me to do something they loved it....they thought it was funny that their mom had to listen to her dad even though I was an adult. So many good times, so many memories! When I got the call that my dad had died I was in shock...my dad wasn't supposed to die, he and mom had plane tickets to come see us in Alabama in August! My dad's funeral was not an easy day for me, it was on my 36th birthday and having to say a final good bye to him broke my heart into pieces. But I know it's not final, I know I will see my dad and mom again one day in heaven.
Wiillard was the first born to Willard and Iva Sitts on July 9,1922 in Iantha, Missouri. When he was 13 the family moved to Idaho. He never went to high school and he joined the National Guard in 1941. He married Irene Schimmels on October 3, 1942. He served overseas during WWII and was a POW in Germany until the end of the war. Upon his return for the war and during his stay in the hopstial he got his GED.
He and Irene had 4 children, Sharon (Steve Steffke), Rick (Pat), Janet(Ron Bryson) & Jeffery. In 1961 they moved to Illinois where he worked full time at Ovaltine Food Products and part time for Meyer's Movers. He left Ovaltine in 1977 and then began working at National Can.
They also had 8 grandchildren: Chris Bergendoff (son of Sharon), Robert & Joseph Sitts (sons of Rick & Pat), Anthony, Michael & Edward Sifuentes (sons of Janet), Jimmy & Angie Bryson (step children of Janet), Diana & Jeffery Jr (children of Jeffery) Willard retired from National Can Company in 1984 due to Irene's health. In 1985 they moved back to Idaho. where they resided until his death in 1993.
Besides his wife, children and grandhildren he was survived by a brother Carol Dean (Annabelle), a sister Betty Jean Ishibashi (Bob)and a sister-in-law Janet. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Calvin Ray.
My brothers always said that I was my dad's favorite and I don't deny that one bit! My dad was my hero in every way. If I ever had a question about anything he was the person I would ask because well, he knew EVERYTHING!! I remember our trips from Illinois to Idaho where we would drive straight through (over 1800 miles) and I got the night shift...in other words I was the one to get to sit up front and keep my dad awake while he drove through the night. I would ask him endless questions and he would tell me stories about living in Missouri before his family moved to Idaho. I hated the thought of disappointing my dad even but that didn't seem to stop me when I became a rebellious teenager....going places I was told not to go and hanging out with kids that I was warned to stay away from. My dad was a big man but he was actually a gentle giant; I remember being spanked only one time with a belt and that was when my younger brother and I acted up in a dimestore when my grandparents were visiting from Idaho. We must have been about 8 and 9; my mother was very embarrassed by our behavior and we were punished for it. When I was pregnant with my first son in 1978 my dad made a remark about me "waddling like a duck" and it hurt my feelings; if anybody else had said it, it wouldn't have bothered me but I guess with the hormones going on during pregnancy it just devastated me that my dad made fun of me. He found out it had hurt my feelings and apologized for the remark and I know it bothered him that he had hurt my feelings. In 1980 when my sister in law Pat and I were pregnant and due at almost the same time we both wanted to give my dad his first granddaughter as he already had 3 grandsons but it was not to be, we both had healthy baby boys; daddy loved them every bit as much as he would have it they had both been girls. He loved taking his grandsons for haircuts. Other than my oldest son's first haircut my dad took my boys for all their haircuts until he and mom moved back to Idaho; the boy s loved it as much as my dad did. My kids loved when my parents would come back to Illinois and visit; they would stay a few days with us and when my dad would "yell" at me or tell me to do something they loved it....they thought it was funny that their mom had to listen to her dad even though I was an adult. So many good times, so many memories! When I got the call that my dad had died I was in shock...my dad wasn't supposed to die, he and mom had plane tickets to come see us in Alabama in August! My dad's funeral was not an easy day for me, it was on my 36th birthday and having to say a final good bye to him broke my heart into pieces. But I know it's not final, I know I will see my dad and mom again one day in heaven.
He and Irene had 4 children, Sharon (Steve Steffke), Rick (Pat), Janet(Ron Bryson) & Jeffery. In 1961 they moved to Illinois where he worked full time at Ovaltine Food Products and part time for Meyer's Movers. He left Ovaltine in 1977 and then began working at National Can.
They also had 8 grandchildren: Chris Bergendoff (son of Sharon), Robert & Joseph Sitts (sons of Rick & Pat), Anthony, Michael & Edward Sifuentes (sons of Janet), Jimmy & Angie Bryson (step children of Janet), Diana & Jeffery Jr (children of Jeffery) Willard retired from National Can Company in 1984 due to Irene's health. In 1985 they moved back to Idaho. where they resided until his death in 1993.
Besides his wife, children and grandhildren he was survived by a brother Carol Dean (Annabelle), a sister Betty Jean Ishibashi (Bob)and a sister-in-law Janet. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Calvin Ray.
My brothers always said that I was my dad's favorite and I don't deny that one bit! My dad was my hero in every way. If I ever had a question about anything he was the person I would ask because well, he knew EVERYTHING!! I remember our trips from Illinois to Idaho where we would drive straight through (over 1800 miles) and I got the night shift...in other words I was the one to get to sit up front and keep my dad awake while he drove through the night. I would ask him endless questions and he would tell me stories about living in Missouri before his family moved to Idaho. I hated the thought of disappointing my dad even but that didn't seem to stop me when I became a rebellious teenager....going places I was told not to go and hanging out with kids that I was warned to stay away from. My dad was a big man but he was actually a gentle giant; I remember being spanked only one time with a belt and that was when my younger brother and I acted up in a dimestore when my grandparents were visiting from Idaho. We must have been about 8 and 9; my mother was very embarrassed by our behavior and we were punished for it. When I was pregnant with my first son in 1978 my dad made a remark about me "waddling like a duck" and it hurt my feelings; if anybody else had said it, it wouldn't have bothered me but I guess with the hormones going on during pregnancy it just devastated me that my dad made fun of me. He found out it had hurt my feelings and apologized for the remark and I know it bothered him that he had hurt my feelings. In 1980 when my sister in law Pat and I were pregnant and due at almost the same time we both wanted to give my dad his first granddaughter as he already had 3 grandsons but it was not to be, we both had healthy baby boys; daddy loved them every bit as much as he would have it they had both been girls. He loved taking his grandsons for haircuts. Other than my oldest son's first haircut my dad took my boys for all their haircuts until he and mom moved back to Idaho; the boy s loved it as much as my dad did. My kids loved when my parents would come back to Illinois and visit; they would stay a few days with us and when my dad would "yell" at me or tell me to do something they loved it....they thought it was funny that their mom had to listen to her dad even though I was an adult. So many good times, so many memories! When I got the call that my dad had died I was in shock...my dad wasn't supposed to die, he and mom had plane tickets to come see us in Alabama in August! My dad's funeral was not an easy day for me, it was on my 36th birthday and having to say a final good bye to him broke my heart into pieces. But I know it's not final, I know I will see my dad and mom again one day in heaven.
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