"Hey Uncle Bill, Miss you like crazy.. I'll never forget Jimmy.. hope your having the time of your life in heaven! Love you! "
In loving memory of
Bill (Bat) Masterson
April 28, 2008
William Raymond "Bat" Masterson, the son of Alex and Ernestine Masterson, was born on February 21, 1927 in Shenandoah, Iowa and passed away April 28, 2008 in Council Bluffs.
Bat attended Shenandoah schools and graduated with the Shenandoah class of 1945. He was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. On June 7, 1945 he was united in marriage with Sybil Jean Pulley also of Shenandoah. He retired after 33 years of law enforcement, nine years with the Council Bluffs Police Department, four years as Chief Deputy Sheriff of Pottawattamie County, and the remaining 20 years as a special Investigator for the State of Iowa. Bat also attended Tarkio College. He was the father of two daughters, Teresa and Denise. On November 4, 2006 Bill was united in marriage with Geneva Mae Bonnesen of Council Bluffs.
Preceding him in death were his parents, his wife Jean, one brother Paul, sisters Ruth Gay, Naomi Spencer, Helen Gay. Survivors include his two daughters, three grandchildren, Christian of Omaha, Greta of Omaha, Nicole of Cedar Rapids, several nieces and nephews and special friends. And he is survived by his wife Geneva, his step-son Joe Owen of Council Bluffs, his wife Kim, their sons Brandon and Joe. By step-daughter Sharolyn Divine of Papillion, her husband James and their children Ryan and Joanne, and by step-son George Owen Jr of Ashland, NE, his wife Cathy and their son George special niece Ina Rhea Whitehill of Shenandoah.
Bat had received special law enforcement training including four federal training schools, University of Iowa, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, University of Illinois, University of Indiana, and Purdue University. He was also an auto theft instructor for the State of Iowa and taught in numerous states. He enjoyed public speaking and was a ventriloquist by hobby and enjoyed telling true stories of how he had fun with his hobby.
Memorial services were held on Saturday, May 3, 2008, at 1:00 p.m. at the Hackett-Livingston Funeral Home in Shenandoah. Words of comfort were given by Rev. Rick Sleyster and Steve Thyberg. Honorary casket bearers were Richard and Deloris Christie, Maurice Reavis, Leroy Spargur, Mary Whipple, Greg Kuipers and Joe Owen. Attending the memory register was Phyllis Funk. His body has been donated to the University of Iowa and his ashes will be buried in Shenandoah Cemetery and in Lutheran Cemetery in Elk Horn, Iowa. Memorials are being directed to Southwest Iowa Law Enforcement, c/o Bill Zenor, 209 E. Elm St., Red Oak, IA 51566. The Hackett-Livingston Funeral was in charge of the arrangements.
Tributes
"Bill will be truly missed. His sense of humor and grand wit were second to none and I for one will miss him immensly. I know Dick how close you two were and am very sorry for your loss. We all lost a very special man who took my daughter and I into his heart and his life when my mother died and kept us there until God came to get him. He and Dick are the only "Grandpas" Savannah has ever known and she is really going to miss her "Grandpa Bill". We love you, Mary and Savannah"
"My Father had 2 daughters Teresa Scruton and Denise Masterson and 3 grandchildren Chris Zimmerman,Gretchen Webster and Nicole Masterson and 4 lovely great grandchildren. "