Alvin V. "Bill" Bone, age 86, passed away on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2003, at St. Marys Hospital in Madison. He was born on Oct. 23, 1916, in Chicago, Ill., the son of William and Jennie (Hart) Bone. Alvin moved to Evansville when he was three years old. He attended "country school" and graduated from Evansville High School in 1934. He attended UW-LaCrosse and Milwaukee School of Engineering before being drafted into the U.S. Army.
He served in the army from 1941 to 1946, and was stationed in the Asiatic-Pacific theater of operations from July 1943 to September 1945. He achieved the rank of Captain, was awarded the Bronze Star, and was proud of his service as a radio operator in the Army Signal Corps. It was during this time that he met his future wife, Alyce Wissmann, who was also serving in the Asiatic-Pacific theater with the U.S. Army Nurse Corps. Alvin and Alyce married on Dec. 27, 1945, in Montague, Mich. They established their home in Evansville, where Alvin worked as an electrician until his retirement in the early 1970s.
He was a lifelong member of the Evansville United Methodist Church, where he had taught Sunday school and served on the Church Board of Trustees. He was also a member of the Evansville Golf Association and the VFW. He enjoyed the outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, and golfing. He was an avid reader, and in his retirement he enjoyed cooking, often sharing his talents with family and friends. Due to health issues, he lived the past three years in assisted living facilities in Janesville, and most recently in McFarland.
He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Alyce of Stoughton (Nazareth House Nursing Home); two daughters, JoAnn (John-deceased) Inghram of Marathon, Fla., and Jacqui (Dave) Landerud of McFarland; a sister, Joyce (Kenneth-deceased) Netzler of Rock Hill, S.C.; a brother, Norman (Alma) of DeBary, Fla.; four grandsons, Jeffrey and Robert Hwang and Christopher and Peter Landerud; and a great-granddaughter, Autumn Hwang. He was preceded in death by his parents; grandson, Eric Hwang; niece, Terri-Lynn Bone; brother-in-law, Kenneth Netzler; and son-in-law, John Inghram.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2003, at 11 a.m. at WARD FUNERAL HOME, 130 S. Fifth Street, Evansville. The Rev. Mike White of the Evansville United Methodist Church will officiate. Burial will follow at the Evansville Maple Hill Cemetery.